;  .■<-'-\> '^ 


CHILDRENSI 

Life.  OF     "s 

Lincoln 


M.UOUfSt  PUTNAM 


^.    *    *    *    :^    •    *    ,^ 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


LINCOLN    AT    HIS    MOTHER'S    KNEE. 
{See  page  19.) 


THE  CHILDREN'S   LIFE 


OF 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN 


BY 


M.    LOUISE   PUTNAM 


CHICAGO 

A.   C.    McCLURG    AND    COMPANY 

1892 


Copyright 

By  a.  C.  McClurg  and  Co. 

A.D.  1892 


'"''> 


S?1 


TO 

THE  CHILDREN   ALL  OVER  THE   WORLD, 

EW  5Littlc  Book 

•      IS    AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED 

By  THE  Author. 


PREFACE. 


HIS  book  does  not  claim  to  be 
written  for  the  amusement  of  chil- 
dren. The  market  is  already 
flooded  with  most  desirable  works 
of  that  description ;  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  parents  will  welcome 
an  occasional  book  of  pure  instruction  for  young 
minds.  The  author's  experience  with  children  has 
led  to  the  conviction  that  the  late  War  of  Secession 
has  created  a  desire  in  their  minds  to  know  more  of 
the  machinery  of  government  than  is  usually  found 
in  works  written  for  them. 

This  impression,  together  with  the  absorbing  inter- 
est which  pertains  to  all  that  concerns  our  late  dear 
chief,  has  led  to  the  preparation  of  this  work.  His 
state-papers  are  so  clear  and  logical,  and  at  the  same 


iv  Preface. 

time  so  attractive,  even  when  treating  of  abstruse 
subjects,  that  a  child  of  twelve  years  can  gain  some 
understanding  of  them.  And  surely  no  richer  legacy 
can  be  bestowed  upon  our  youth  than  the  recorded 
wisdom  of  our  Martyred  President. 

M.  L.  p. 
Boston,  September,  1892. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAOE 

Birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  —  Angel  Visitors.  —  He  begins 
his  Education.  —  Incidents  of  his  Childhood.  —  He  re- 
moves to  Indiana 13 

CHAPTER    II. 

The  Journey.  —  Arrival.  —  He  helps  to  build  a  Log-cabin. 

—  Continues  his  Education.  —  Learns  to  Shoot. — -His 
Mother's  Illness  and  Death.  —  His  Grief.  —  He  obtains 
New  Books.  —  Learns  to  Write.  —  His  First  Letter.  — 
His  Mother's  Funeral  Sermon 29 

CHAPTER    III. 

His  New  Mother. —  Her  Kindness.  —  Abe  goes  to  School. 
—The  Buck's  Horn. —  The  Ruined  Book.  —  School  In- 
cidents. —  Abe  leaves  School.  —  Goes  to  New  Orleans 
in  a  Flat-boat.  —  Dangers  of  the  Trip.  —  Safe  Return.  — 
Death  of  his  Sister 36 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Removal  to  Illinois.  —  Incidents  of  the  Journey.  —  Arrival. 

—  He  builds  a  Log-cabin.  —  Splits  Rails.  —  Goes  to  seek 
his  Fortune.  —  The  Armstrongs.  —  Goes  to  New  Orleans. 

—  Life  in  New  Salem.  —  Pursues  his  Education  by 
Himself 47 


VI  Contents. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Black  Hawk  War.  —  Mr.  Lincoln  is  nominated  for  the  Lecris- 
lature,  but  is  defeated.  —  He  buys  a  Store.  —  Become"^  a 
Surveyor.  —  He  is  chosen  to  the  Legislature.  —  Decides 
to  become  a  Lawyer.  —  A  Long  Walk.  —  He  is  admitted 
to  the  Bar.  — Trial  of  Young  Armstrong.  —  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's Marriage 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Explanation  of  the  United  States  Government.  —  Presi- 
dential Campaign  of  i  S44.  —  Lincoln  is  chosen  Repre- 
sentative to  Congress.  —  Annexation  of  Texas.  — The 
Mexican  War.  —The  Wilmot  Proviso.  —  The  Tariff  . 

CHAPTER   VIL 

General  Taylor  elected  President.  -  Lincoln  practises  his 
Profession.  —Takes  the  Political  Field  in  1854.  —  Repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise.  —  Judge  Trumbull  elected 
Senator      .     .     . 


CHAPTER    VIIL 

The  Republican  Party.  -  The  Presidential  Campaign  of 
1856.  —  Buchanan's  Election.  —  Kansas.  — The  bred 
Scott  Decision 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Speeches  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas.  —  Lincoln  visits  Kan- 
sas, Ohio,  and  New  York.  —  Speech  at  Cooper  Institute. 
—  At  Five  Points 

CHAPTER    X. 

The  Presidential  Campaign  of  i860.  — The  Republican 
Convention  at  Chicago.  —  Lincoln  elected  President 


51 


58 


71 


n 


86 


97 


Contents.  vii 


CHAPTER   XI. 

PACE 

Commencement  of  Secession  Movement.  —  General  Scott's 
Anxiety.  —  Defection  of  Buchanan  and  his  Cabinet.  — 
Anderson's  Removal  to  Fort  Sumter.  —  South  Carolina 
secedes.  —  Secret  Meeting  of  Jefferson  Davis  and  other 
Traitors.  —  Other  States  secede.  —  Their  Congressmen 
resign  their  Seats  at  Washington.  —  Convention  of  Se- 
ceded States  at  Montgomery.  —  Jefferson  Davis  is  cho- 
sen President,  Alexander    H.   Stephens  Vice-President. 

—  The  Confederacy  prepares  for  War.  —  Congress  tries 

to  conciliate loi 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Lincoln  leaves  Springfield.  —  Farewell.  —  His  Arrival  at 
Tolono,  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Steubenville, 
Pittsburg,  Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Rochester,  Syracuse, 
Utica,  Albany,  Troy,  Hudson,  Poughkeepsie,  Peekskill, 
New  York,  Trenton,  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg.  —  Plot  to 
take  his  Life.  — His  Safe  Arrival  at  Washington  —  Lin- 
coln's Address no 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
Lincoln's  Inauguration.  —  Personal  Appearance.  —  Habits    127 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Pre.sident  Lincoln  chooses  his  Cabinet.  —  The  "  Star  of  the 
West."—  Anderson's  Letter.  —  The  President's  Dilemma. 

—  Surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  demanded  and  refused.— 
Bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter.  —  Anderson  Surrenders. 

—  Exultation  of  the  South.  —  Indignation  of  the  North  .  133 

CHAPTER    XV. 

President  Lincoln  calls  for  Troops.  —  Enthusiasm  at  the 
North.  —  Virginia  secedes.  —  Letters  of  Marque.  — 
Blockade.  —  President  Lincoln  improvises  a  Navy.  — 
Calls  for  more  Troops 15° 


viii  Contents. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

PAGE 

Secession  Sympathizers.  —  Suspension  of  the  Writ  of 
Habeas  Corpus.  —  Recognition  of  the  Rebels  as  Bel- 
ligerents by  Foreign  Powers 159 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Special  Session  of  Congress.  —  The  President's  Message.  — 
Defeat  of  our  Troops  at  Bull  Run.  —  McClellan  succeeds 
McDowell.  —  Union  Successes  on  the  Coast.  —  Disaster 
at  Ball's  Bluff.  — Scott's  Resignation. —  McClellan  suc- 
ceeds Scott.  —  Dranesville.  —  The  Trent  Affair     ...     168 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

The  President's  Order.  —  Yorktown.  —  Williamsburg.  — 
Advance  of  the  Army.  —  McClellan's  Retreat  to  James 
River.  —  Pope  succeeds  McClellan.  —  McClellan  suc- 
ceeds Pope.  —  South  Mountain.  —  Antietam.  —  Burn- 
side  succeeds  McClellan.  —  Union  Successes  in  the  West. 

—  Capture  of   New  Orleans. — Report  by  Congress  on 

the  Conduct  of  the  War 184 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

The  President's  Position  in  regard  to  Slavery.  —  Meeting  of 
Congress.  —  Confiscation  Bill.  —  The  Border  States. — 

—  Slavery  in  the  Territories  and  District  of  Columbia 
abolished.  — Emancipation  Proclamation.  —  Confederate 
Cruisers.  —  Action  of  Mr.  Adams 198 


CHAPTER    XX. 

Hooker  succeeds  Burnside.  —  Fredericksburg.  —  Meade 
succeeds  Hooker.  —  Gettysburg.  —  Vicksburg.  —  Port 
Hudson.  —  Dedication  of  the  Battlefield  of  Gettysburg. 
—  The  President's  Thanksgiving  Proclamation    .      .      .     212 


Contents.  ix 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

PAGE 

The  French  Emperor.  —  Congress.  —  The  President's  Mes- 
sage . —  Arming  of  the  Blacks.  — Conscription  Bill.  — The 
Draft.  —  Riot  in  New  York.  —  Vallandigham.  —  Rebel 
Rams 223 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Congress.  —  Amnesty  Proclamation.  —  General  Grant.  — 
Presidential  Campaign.  —  Lincoln  re-elected.  —  His  Re- 
ception of  the  News 242 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Congress.  —  The  President's  Message.  —  A  Constitutional 
Amendment.  —  The  Peace  Conference.  —  The  Second 
Inauguration  of  Lincoln 251 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

General  Grant. —  General  Sherman. —  Grant's  Campaign 
against  Richmond.  —  General  Sheridan.  —  Sherman's 
Grand  March.  —  Savannah.  —  Fort  Fisher.  —  Peters- 
burg and  Richmond  Evacuated.  —  President  Lincoln 
enters    Richmond.  —  Surrender   of    Lee.  —  Celebrations. 

—  The  President's  Last   Speech 259 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

The  President  at  Breakfast.  —  Cabinet  Meeting  at  the 
Theatre. — Assassination  of  the  President  by  Booth. — 
The  President's  Death.  —  Public  Grief  and  Indignation. 

—  His   Funeral.  —  Triumphal    March.  —  Burial.  —  Re- 
flections      274 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Lincoln  at  his  Mother's  Knee      ....     Frontispiece 

Abe  learning  to  Talk 17 

"An  Indian  darted  out" 21 

Birthplace  of  Abraham  Lincoln 27 

Lincoln  starts  for   School  in  a  new  Coon-Skin 

Cap 37 

Abe  on  the  Stump 43 

Lincoln's  First  Lesson  in  Law 73 

Lincoln  addressing  the  Five-Points  Mission    .     .  93 

Off  to  the  War 153 

A  Volunteer 188 

"He  died  for  us" 197 

President  Lincoln  signing  the  Emancipation  Pro- 
clamation        207 

Thanksgiving  Day  —  Home  again! 221 

Draft  Riots,  July  14,  1863 235 

"Bress  de  Lawd!" 271 

The  Drummer-Boy  and  the  President      ....  2S7 

Pax 291 


THE    CHILDREN'S 


LIFE  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


CHAPTER   I. 


Birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  —  Ano^el  Visitors. 


Education. 
Indiana. 


He  begins  his 
Incidents  of  his  Childhood.  —  He  removes  to 


N  an  old  log-hut  with- 
out a  floor,  and  with 
scarcely  anything  in  it 
that  could  be  called  fur- 
niture, in  a  more  miser- 
able and  forlorn-looking 
cabin  than  you,  my  dear 
children,  probably  ever 
saw  in  all  your  lives,  on 
a  cold  winter's  day  more 
thau  seventy-six  years 
ago,  a  little  baby  was 
born.  The  precise  day  on  which  this  event  occurred 
was  the   12th  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 


14       The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincohi. 

1809.  The  spot  on  which  this  hovel  stood  was  near 
the  banks  of  a  river  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  in  what 
was  then  called  Hardin  County,  but  now  bears  the 
name  of  La  Rue. 

You  would  hardly  believe  that  a  little,  tender,  new- 
born baby  could  live,  much  less  grow  and  thrive,  in 
such  an  uncomfortable  place  as  this  poor  hut.  There 
were  great  cracks  between  the  logs,  where  the  snow 
and  rain  and  sleet  came  driving  in  at  pleasure,  and  at 
night  the  stars  were  plainly  to  be  seen  shining  through 
chinks  in  the  roof;  so  that  with  all  the  fire  that  could 
possibly  be  kept  roaring  up  the  wide  chimney,  I 
doubt  not  we  should  have  found  ourselves  in  a  fear- 
fully cold  place,  if  we  had  made  a  visit  to  this 
same  log-hut  on  the  12th  of  February,  in  the  year 
1809. 

But  notwithstanding  the  poor  old  cabin  was  so 
cold  and  so  bare,  I  think  it  next  to  certain  that  it 
had  visitors  on  that  day.  I  am  sure  that  a  band  of 
holy  angels  must  have  descended  from  their  heavenly 
abode  and  filled  this  lowly  dwelling  with  their  sacred 
presence,  commissioned  by  the  dear  Lord  himself  to 
watch  over  and  protect  this  infant,  whose  career  was 
to  be  so  wonderful.  For  when  our  Saviour  was  upon 
earth  he  said  some  very  remarkable  words  about 
children.  He  said  to  his  disciples  one  day,  "  Take 
heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little  ones ;   for 


Birth  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  15 

I  say  unto  you  that  in  heaven  their  angels  do  always 
behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
These  words  show  that  the  guardian  angels  of  chil- 
dren dwell  in  the  immediate  presence  of  God,  and 
indicate  how  precious  the  little  ones  are  in  his  sight. 

This  new-born  infant  was  a  boy,  although  I  believe 
I  omitted  to  tell  you  that.  He  was  a  fine,  healthy 
child,  and  was  called  Abraham.  His  father  was 
Thomas  Lincoln,  and  his  mother,  Nancy  Hanks  Lin- 
coln. Abraham  had  one  brother,  who  died  in  child- 
hood ;  he  also  had  a  sister,  a  few  years  older  than 
himself,  who  lived  to  womanhood. 

His  sister,  I  doubt  not,  was  very  much  delighted 
with  her  little  brother  Abraham,  and  very  proud  when 
her  mother  allowed  her  to  sing  him  to  sleep,  or  per- 
haps rock  him  in  the  rude  cradle  which  his  father 
managed  to  construct  from  the  scanty  materials  within 
his  reach.  As  the  baby  grew  older,  doubtless  his 
sister  patiently  taught  him  to  use  his  feet  until  he 
could  walk,  and  hour  by  hour  said  over  to  him,  as 
they  lay  on  the  beautiful  green  grass  in  front  of  their 
homely  cabin,  the  words  "  father,"  "  mother,"  "  sister," 
until  Abraham  could  say  them  himself.  She  little 
knew,  this  kind,  good  girl,  that  in  helping  to  rear  her 
dear  baby  brother  she  was  doing  something  for  every- 
body in  these  whole  United  States.  And  this  should 
teach  you,  my  children,  to  be  patient  and  kind  and 


1 6      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


gentle  to  that  little  baby  brother  or  sister  of  yours ; 
for  you  do  not  know  how  good  or  great  the  little 
one  may  become. 

It  did  not  seem  probable  that  this  little  Abraham, 
whose  parents  were  so  very  poor,  would  ever  be 
known  much  beyond  a  few  neighbors  as  poor  and 
obscure  as  themselves.  But  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
show  you  in  these  pages  that  he  finally  became  one 
of  the  greatest  men  that  ever  lived. 

We  do  not  know  much  with  certainty  concerning 
his  childhood  before  he  was  about  seven  years  old. 
It  was  at  this  period  that  Abraham,  or  "  Abe,"  as  all 
the  family  called  him,  began  to  go  to  school,  —  not  to 
such  an  one  as  you  are  blessed  with,  with  your  pleas- 
ant, comfortable  school-houses,  and  nice,  new  books, 
and  above  all  your  refined  and  able  teachers,  but 
to  a  miserable  cabin,  not  unlike  the  one  he  lived  in. 
He  carried  an  old,  tattered  spelling-book  under  his 
arm,  and  had  a  teacher  who  barely  knew  how  to 
read  and  write. 

But  Abe,  as  we  must  now  call  him,  since  everybody 
else  did,  thought  it  a  glorious  affair  to  go  to  school 
at  all.  as  indeed  it  was.  Very  few  children  in  that 
region  ever  saw  a  school,  or  knew  what  it  meant. 
Their  parents  were  for  the  most  part  very  ignorant 
people,  and  not  knowing  how  to  read  or  write  them- 
selves did  not  consider  it  necessary  that  their   chil- 


> 
w 
r 
> 

5 

o 

H 
O 


r 


TJic  Family  Bible.  19 

dren  should  be  any  wiser  than  they,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lincohi,  however,  were  superior  both  in  talents  and 
acquirements  to  most  of  their  neighbors,  yet  we 
should  consider  their  education  very  limited.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  could  read  quite  well,  but,  according  to  some 
authorities,  could  not  write,  though  the  latest  claim 
that  she  could ;  but  all  agree,  I  believe,  that  her 
husband  could  do  neither,  except  that  he  was  able 
to  scrawl  his  name  in  a  rude  manner,  which  he  and 
his  friends  managed  to  decipher.  Even  this  acquire- 
ment was  due  to  the  instruction  of  his  wife. 

But  they  both  knew  the  value  of  learning,  and  de- 
termined to  give  their  son  all  the  advantages  they 
could,  which  at  that  time  did  not  promise  to  be  many. 
Abe  himself  was  very  eager  to  be  taught  to  read. 
There  was  no  church  for  many  miles  around,  and  on 
Sundavs  his  mother,  who  was  a  most  excellent  Chris- 
tian  woman,  was  accustomed  to  spend  a  great  portion 
of  the  day  in  reading  to  her  family  from  the  Bible. 
Little  Abe  would  listen  with  the  greatest  attention 
and  delight  to  those  wonderful  Bible  stories  of  Joseph 
and  Moses  and  Samuel  and  Daniel,  and  a  host  of 
others ;  but  more  than  all,  how  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
was  born  in   a   manger.     Abe   said  to   himself,  — 

"  It  would  be  very  nice  to  read  all  those  stories 
out  of  a  book,  as-  mother  does;  and  I  will  try  as 
hard  as  ever  I  can  to  learn." 


20      The  CJiildreti's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincohi. 

In  consequence  of  his  good  resolution  he  was 
quickly  able  to  spell  out  easy  words,  and  often  car- 
ried home  his  old  spelling-book  and  studied  all  the 
evening. 

Abe,  as  we  have  said,  was  very  fond  of  stories  ;  and 
it  was  one  of  his  greatest  pleasures  to  hear  all  about 
the  exploits  of  his  grandfather,  for  whom  he  was 
named. 

I  can  imagine  that  upon  some  cold,  stormy  night, 
when  the  wind  was  howling  and  moaning  through  all 
the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  miserable  dwelling,  and 
shaking  and  rocking  it  so  hard  that  it  seemed  every 
instant  as  if  it  would  tumble  down  about  their  ears, 
Mr.  Lincoln,  who  w^as  a  kind-hearted  man  and  loved 
to  make  all  his  family  happy,  would  pile  the  old 
chimney  high  with  logs,  until  there  was  a  glorious,  blaz- 
ing fire  that  made  the  little  cabin  as  light  as  day; 
then,  sitting  down  in  the  corner  and  taking  his  little 
son  upon  his  knee,  he  would  say:  "Now,  my  boy, 
I  'm  going  to  tell  you  about  your  grandfather;  this 
is  a  good  night  for  stories." 

Then  Abe  would  sit  and  listen  till  his  hair  stood  on 
end  and  his  blood  chilled,  as  his  father  told  him  all 
about  those  perilous  times. 

"I  was  only  six  years  old,"  he  said,  "when  my 
father  was  killed.  One  morning,  when  he  was  going 
out  to  work,  he  took  my  two  older  brothers  and  me 


Indian  Stories. 


21 


with  him.  We  had  gone  but  a  {q\n  rods  from  our 
home,  when  an  Indian  darted  out  from  behind  a  tree 
and  killed  our  father  before  our  eyes.     My  younger 


"an   INDIAN   DARTED   OUT." 

brother  started  for  the  fort,  which  was  a  good  way  off, 
for  help;  but  Mordecai,  my  eldest  brother,  ran  to  our 
cabin  for  his  musket,  for  he  meant  to  kill  the  Indian. 
He  climbed  up  into  the  loft,  where  he  could  see  the 
savage  plainly,  and  take  good  aim.    There  was  some- 


22      TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

thing  on  the  red  man's  breast  that  served  Mordecai 
for  a  target.  He  aimed  at  that;  and  the  Indian  was 
dead  in  a  minute,  for  Mordecai  was  a  famous  shot. 

"  All  this  time  I  was  alone  with  my  dead  father.  I 
was  too  frightened  to  run  or  do  anything  but  cry. 
The  Indian,  just  before  Mordecai  shot  him,  seeing 
that  both  of  my  brothers  had  gone  and  left  me  alone, 
was  coming  up  to  grab  me  and  carry  me  off,  when  he 
fell  dead  at  my  feet.  Then  I  screamed  louder  than 
ever,  and  should  have  gone  crazy  if  Mordecai  had 
not  rushed  out  of  our  cabin  and  come  to  me.  He 
took  me  in  his  arms  and  tried  to  soothe  me.  I  can 
see  it  all  as  plainly  as  if  it  happened  yesterday.  I 
did  not  get  over  the  fright  for  a  long  time." 

It  appears  that  Abe's  grandfather  and  father,  too, 
were  born  in  old  Virginia,  in  Rockingham  County. 
But  the  grandfather  decided  when  his  son  Thomas, 
Abe's  father,  was  a  little  bo}',  to  mo\'e  with  all  his 
family  to  the  State  of  Kentucky.  This  event  occurred 
about  the  year  1780. 

At  that  time  Kentucky  was  not  a  State,  it  was  only 
a  Territory ;  and  the  country  where  Mr.  Lincoln  settled 
was  all  a  wilderness.  There  were  no  roads,  no  paths, 
even,  only  as  the  settlers  made  them  by  cutting  down 
the  trees  and  thick  underbrush  which  grew  in  their 
way.  There  were  no  houses  of  any  description,  ex- 
cept a  few  rude  huts,  scattered  here  and  there  in  the 


Perils  of  the  Pioneers.  23 

dense  forests.  Abe's  grandfather  selected  a  spot  for 
his  dwelhng  a  mile  or  two  away  from  anybody  else. 
The  woods  were  full  of  Indians  running  about  in 
every  direction.  They  were  very  cruel  to  white 
people,  often  murdering  whole  families. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  in  a  new  country  like 
this  is  to  "  clear  the  land."  All  the  trees  within  a 
certain  space  must  be  cut  down,  and  all  the  under- 
brush cleared  away.  Sometimes  the  ground  is 
burned  over,  and  various  other  things  are  done  to 
get  the  land  into  a  proper  condition  to  be  cultivated. 
Whenever  these  new  settlers  went  out  to  clear  their 
land  they  were  obliged,  on  account  of  the  barbarity 
of  the  Indians,  to  take  their  guns  as  well  as  their  axes. 
The  guns  were  kept  constantly  loaded,  that  they  might 
be  discharged  at  a  moment's  warning.  But  notwith- 
standing these  precautions,  settlers  were  often  killed. 

Abe's  grandfather  was  more  fortunate  than  many 
of  his  neighbors.  He  got  on  very  pleasantly  v/ith 
the  Indians  for  three  or  four  years,  and  doubtless  he 
and  his  family  began  to  feel  quite  secure,  and  thought 
the  Indians  would  never  molest  them.  But,  alas ! 
one  day,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  went  out  to  clear  a  piece 
of  land,  the  terrible  tragedy  occurred  which  wc  have 
related. 

Abe's  grandmother  was  now  a  widow  and  very 
poor,  with  three  boys  and  two  girls  to  take  care  of, 


24       The  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

which  was  more  than  she  could  do  without  assistance. 
So  all  the  children  were  obliged  to  go  away  from 
home,  except  Thomas,  Abe's  father,  who  lived  with 
his  mother  until  he  was  twelve  years  old,  when  he, 
too,  left  her. 

Little  Abe  was  never  tired  of  hearing  about  these 
strange,  perilous  times,  and  asked  his  father  more 
questions  about  them  than  he  was  able  to  answer ; 
for  even  at  that  early  age  Abe  showed  a  very  dis- 
criminating mind,  and  wanted  a  reason  for  every- 
thing. When  he  had  been  a  short  time  at  the  school 
of  Mr.  Hazel,  —  for  that  was  his  master's  name,  —  and 
was  just  beginning  to  read  short  and  easy  words,  his 
education  was  interrupted. 

Mr.  Thomas  Lincoln,  who  had  for  a  long  time  been 
discontented  in  Kentucky  on  account  of  its  being  a 
slave  State,  where  it  was  considered  a  disgrace  to 
work  for  one's  own  living,  and  where  poor  white  peo- 
ple often  did  not  fare  as  well  as  the  slaves  themselves, 
now  decided  that  he  could  not  live  there  any  longer, 
and  that  he  must  sell  his  little  farm  and  move  away. 

It  was  not  very  easy  finding  a  purchaser  for  so 
small  and  poor  an  estate  as  his ;  but  at  length  a  man 
made  his  appearance  who  said  he  would  buy  it  if  he 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  could  agree  upon  the  terms.  Mr. 
Lincoln's  price  was  three  hundred  dollars.  This 
man    said    he    had  but   little  nioney,  but  had  some 


The  Price  of  the  Farm.  25 

whiskey,  and  would  give  ten  barrels  of  whiskey 
worth  twenty-eight  dollars  a  barrel,  and  twenty  dol- 
las  in  money,  for  the  farm.  You  will  see,  children,  if 
you  reckon  it  up,  that  this  amounted  to  Mr.  Lincoln's 
price.  He  did  not  altogether  like  the  proposition, 
however,  because  he  wished  to  move  away  quite  a 
long  distance  into  another  State,  and  if  he  could  sell 
his  farm  for  money,  he  could  put  that  in  his  pocket, 
where  it  would  give  him  no  trouble. 

But  ten  barrels  of  whiskey  would  n't  go  into  any- 
body's pocket,  and  it  was  very  hard  telling  what  to 
do  with  it.  He  did  not  want  to  drink  it  because  he 
was  a  temperate  man,  and  he  could  not  sell  it  there ; 
so  if  he  took  it,  it  was  plain  that  he  must  carry  it 
with  him.  It  was  a  difficult  question  to  decide  how 
to  move  such  cumbersome  property  through  a  coun- 
try where  for  much  of  the  distance  there  was  no  road 
at  all.  After  some  reflection,  however,  and  talking 
the  matter  over  with  his  wife,  who  was  a  woman  of 
excellent  judgment,  he  decided  to  accept  the  man's 
offer  and  take  the  whiskey  and  the  twenty  dollars. 

As  I  have  already  told  you,  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabin 
stood  near  the  banks  of  a  river.  It  is  called  the 
Rolling  Fork  River,  and  emptie^  into  the  Ohio.  You 
know  that  the  Ohio  is  a  large  river,  separating  the 
State  of  Kentucky  from  the  State  of  Indiana. 

Mr.   Lincoln   decid'ed  to  seek   his  future  home  in 


26      TJic  CJiildrais  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Indiana.  So  he  concluded  to  build  a  flat-boat,  —  a 
rude  sort  of  an  affair  not  unlike  a  raft,  which  was 
often  used  at  that  time  for  transporting  produce 
from  one  place  to  another. 

Mr.  Lincoln  accordingly  began  his  boat ;  and  al- 
though little  Abe  was  not  yet  eight  years  old,  he 
was  of  great  assistance  to  his  father.  When  the  boat 
was  finished  and  launched,  Mr.  Lincoln  loaded  it 
with  the  ten  barrels  of  whiskey,  a  few  household 
goods,  and  some  carpenter's  tools,  and  pushed  off 
for  Indiana.  He  intended  to  float  down  the  Rolling 
Fork  into  the  Ohio,  and  then  at  a  proper  place 
cross  the  Ohio  River.  He  succeeded  in  getting  boat 
and  cargo  safely  to  the  Ohio ;  but  pretty  soon  after 
this  was  accomplished  his  boat  upset,  and  down  went 
whiskey  and  everything  else,  as  well  as  himself,  into 
the  water. 

Fortunately  there  was  no  other  person  on  the  boat 
at  the  time.  He  had  thought  best  to  leave  his 
family  behind  until  he  had  first  selected  a  suitable 
place  for  a  home,  when  he  was  to  return  for  them. 
Thus  he  was  all  alone.  But  some  men  on  the  op- 
posite bank  witnessed  the  accident,  and  called  out 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  to  hold  on  to  his  boat  till  they  could 
get  to  him.  Another  boat  was  at  hand,  into  which 
they  quickly  jumped  and  were  soon  at  his  side. 
They  succeeded  in  righting  Mr.  Lincoln's  craft  and 


Seekins^  a  New  Home. 


27 


saving  several  barrels  of  the  whiskey  and  a  few  other 
things,  but  all  the  rest  was  swept  away. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  however,  was  n't  a  bit  discouraged ; 
he  started  ofif  again  quite  cheerfully  with  the  remains 
of  the  wreck,  and  proceeding  down  the  river  to 
Thompson's  Ferry,  landed  safely  in  Indiana.     There 


^■^^rui^ 


BIRTHPLACE   OF    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


he  found  a  man  who  agreed  to  guide  him  into  the  in- 
terior of  the  country  and  take  the  boat  in  payment  for 
his  services.  To  this  Mr.  Lincoln  was  glad  to  con- 
sent, as  he  had  no  further  use  for  the  boat.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's place  of  destination  was  Spencer  County,  and 
to  reach  it  was  a  formidable  undertaking.  It  was 
necessary  to  cut  a  road  the  entire  distance  through  a 
dense  and  almost  impenetrable  forest. 


28       The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

By  dint  of  great  perseverance  and  much  hard  labor 
eighteen  miles  of  this  difficult  work  were  accomplished. 
But  Mr.  Lincoln  often  said,  in  speaking  of  it  after- 
ward, that  one  of  the  hardest  things  he  ever  did  was 
to  get  from  Thompson's  Ferry  to  Spencer  County. 
He  looked  about  this  new  country  which  it  had  cost 
him  so  much  toil  to  reach,  and  at  length  selected  a 
spot  for  his  new  home.  Having  done  this,  he  con- 
signed his  small  property  to  one  of  the  neighbors, 
and  set  out  on  foot  for  Kentucky.  His  family  were 
waiting  for  him ;  and  in  a  few  days  their  prepara- 
tions had  been  completed,  and  they  were  all  ready 
to  bid  good-by  to  the  old  homestead  and  proceed  to 
Indiana. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Journey.  —  Arrival.  —  He  helps  to  build  a  Log-cabin. — 
Continues  his  Education. —  Learns  to  Shoot. —  His  Mothers 
Illness  and  Death.  —  His  Grief.  —  He  obtains  New  Books. 
—  Learns  to  Write.  —  His  First  Letter.  —  His  Mothers 
Funeral  Sermon. 


F  you  could  have  seen  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his 
family  equipped  for  this  journey,  children, 
I  think  you  would  have  laughed.  They 
had  no  wagon,  and  were  to  go  on  horse- 
back. Abe's  mother  and  sister  were  both  mounted 
upon  one  horse.  Abe  had  an  animal  all  to  himself, 
as  had  also  his  father ;  but  their  horses  were  loaded 
down  with  bimdles  and  packages  strapped  on  in 
every  direction,  and  presented  a  very  grotesque  ap- 
pearance. Little  space  was  left  for  the  riders;  in- 
deed, Mr.  Lincoln  walked  most  of  the  way,  leading 
his  horse.  In  this  manner  they  proceeded  seven 
whole  days  over  a  wild  and  uninhabited  region,  tying 
their  horses  to  trees  when  they  were  too  tired  or  too 
hungry  to  go  on  any  farther,  and  for  their  own  refresh- 
ment eating  a  bit  of  dry  bread  or  cold  meat  which 
they  had  brought  with  them. 


30      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

And  when  night  came,  what  do  you  suppose  they 
did  for  a  bedroom?  Why,  they  spread  a  blanket  on 
the  ground,  and  all  lay  down  together  under  a  tree, 
with  another  blanket  over  them,  the  green  boughs 
arching  high  overhead.  There  they  all  slept  as 
soundly  as  you  do,  tucked  into  your  nice,  warm  beds. 
At  the  end  of  seven  days  Mr.  Lincoln  told  his  family 
they  had  reached  their  new  home;  but  they  had  only 
come  to  a  great  clump  of  green  trees,  without  any 
house  at  all. 

They  were  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  ground  as  usual 
that  night;  but  in  the  morning  they  awoke  quite  re- 
freshed, and  Mr.  Lincoln  told  Abe  that  he  must  help 
him  clear  some  land  on  which  to  build  a  cabin.  So 
Abe  took  his  hatchet  and  went  to  work,  chopping 
away  right  merrily.  By  and  by  a  neighbor  who  lived 
two  or  three  miles  away  came  to  help  them,  and 
brought  them  something  good  for  dinner,  which  you 
may  be  sure  was  very  acceptable.  They  all  worked, 
Mrs.  Lincoln  lending  her  aid,  and  in  a  short  time  had 
constructed  a  temporary  shelter,  in  the  form  of  a 
shed  enclosed  on  three  sides,  the  fourth  being  open 
to  the  weather. 

This  was  better  than  nothing,  and  served  them  for 
a  year,  by  which  time  they  had  erected  a  log-cabin, 
about  eighteen  feet  square.  This  rude  structure  con- 
sisted of  but  one  room,  and  had   no   floor  but  the 


The   Young  Hmiter.  31 


beaten  ground.  A  chamber,  however,  was  contrived 
for  Abe,  by  placing  some  slabs  across  the  logs  over- 
head, and  a  rude  ladder  served  for  a  staircase.  A 
bedstead,  a  table,  and  four  stools  were  hewn  out  of 
the  rough  logs,  and  then  the  house  was  pronounced 
finished  and  furnished.  The  shed  was  built  in  the 
autumn. 

As  soon  as  the  winter  set  in,  Abe  began  to  study- 
again,  with  his  mother  for  a  teacher.  She  took  great 
pains  with  him,  and  he  amply  repaid  her  by  improv- 
ing rapidly  in  his  reading  and  spelling,  and  before  the 
winter  was  over  had  mastered  their  whole  library, 
which  consisted  of  three  books,  —  the  Bible,  the  Cate- 
chism, and  the  old  spelling-book  from  which  Abe  had 
learned  to  read. 

But  he  did  not  spend  all  his  time  in  study ;  no  child 
could  do  that.  Sometimes  with  his  father  he  chopped 
down  trees,  and  sometimes  he  practised  rifle-shooting. 
It  was  of  great  importance  in  those  new  countries  to 
be  a  good  shot,  because  there  were  no  butcher's  carts 
or  meat-shops  or  markets  of  any  kind.  When  a  piece 
of  meat  was  wanted  for  dinner,  somebody  must  go 
out  and  shoot  some  game.  Abe  practised  until  he 
became  an  excellent  shot,  and  one  day  killed  a  wild 
turkey,  which  made  them  a  good  dinner. 

They  lived  in  this  manner  very  happily  for  about 
two  years,  when  one  day  Abe's  mother  was  taken 


32      TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln . 

very  ill.  The  family  were  much  alarmed,  and  tried 
to  do  something  for  her  relief.  The  neighbors  came 
and  were  very  kind,  but  nobody  could  think  of  any- 
thing which  made  the  poor  woman  any  better.  The 
doctor  could  not  be  sent  for,  because  he  lived  forty 
miles  away ;  so  the  poor,  sick  woman  was  obliged  to 
lie  and  suffer  upon  her  hard  bed,  with  nothing  to  ease 
the  dreadful  pain. 

One  day  she  called  little  Abe  to  her  side,  and  told 
him  she  thought  she  was  going  to  die.  Poor,  poor 
child  !  what  terrible  words  were  these  !  He  loved  his 
mother  with  all  the  strength  of  his  loving  heart,  and 
he  did  not  see  how  he  could  live  without  her.  His 
mother  tried  to  calm  him,  and  told  him  he  must  lis- 
ten to  her  dying  words  and  always  remember  and 
obey  them,  and  then  some  day  God  would  let  him 
come  and  live  with  her  in  a  beautiful  world  where 
nobody  would  ever  be  sick  or  die,  or  have  to  say 
good-by  any  more. 

She  told  him  he  must  always  remember  to  keep 
God's  day  holy,  as  she  had  taught  him  ;  that  he  must 
never  tell  lies,  or  say  wicked  words ;  and  above  all, 
that  every  day  he  must  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible, 
and  say  his  prayers  every  night  and  morning.  Little 
Abe  promised  to  mind  his  mother  faithfully,  and  we 
have  reason  to  think  he  did  so  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  in  every  respect  a  remarkable 


Deatli  of  Airs.  Lincoln.  33 

woman.  She  was  truly  Christian  in  all  her  deeds,  and 
little  Abe  knew  that  his  mother  always  practised  the 
very  things  she  required  of  him.  It  was,  doubtless, 
owing  in  a  great  degree  to  his  mother's  influence  that 
he  was  so  honest,  truthful,  and  upright  all  his  life. 

Abe's  mother  grew  worse  and  worse,  and  after  a 
few  weeks  of  severe  suffering  died  and  left  her  stricken 
family.  Poor  little  Abe  sobbed  out  to  one  of  the 
neighbors  who  came  in  :   "I  have  n't  any  mother  now." 

Amid  many  tears,  prayers  were  said  over  the  dear 
body,  and  then  they  carried  it  out  and  buried  it  under 
a  beautiful  tree.  This  was  all  the  funeral  they  could 
have  at  that  time,  because  there  was  no  clergyman  for 
many  miles  around. 

Abe  grieved  sorely  for  his  dear  mother,  and  was  so 
lonely  without  her  that  he  did  not  know  what  to  do 
with  himself.  His  father  felt  very  sorry  for  him,  and 
sought  to  comfort  him  by  saying  that  he  would  try  to 
get  a  new  book  for  him  to  read.  But  a  book  was  a 
very  difficult  thing  to  obtain  in  that  region.  No 
family  could  boast  of  more  than  a  very  few,  and 
many  and  many  a  house  had  not  one.  But  soon 
afterward  Mr.  Lincoln  visited  a  friend  who  lived 
about  twenty  miles  distant,  and  there,  to  his  great 
delight,  he  found  an  old,  soiled  copy  of  Bunyan's 
Pilgrim's  Progress.  He  instantly  borrowed  it  for 
Abe.     When  he  got  home  and  showed  this  treasure 

3 


34      T]ie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


to  his  son,  the  boy's  eyes  sparkled,  and  he  was  so  de- 
Hghted  that  he  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep.  He  fairly 
devoured  the  book,  and  was  by  no  means  content 
with  one  reading.  When  he  was  about  half-way 
through  it  the  second  time,  a  lady  came  to  see  him 
and  brought  another  book,  ^sop's  Fables,  which 
she  gave  to  Abe  for  a  present.  This  was  a  prize, 
indeed,  and  Abe  felt  as  happy  and  rich  as  a  king. 
He  read  these  fables  until  he  could  repeat  them ;  and 
some  persons  have  thought  this  book  developed  in 
him  that  remarkable  love  for  stories  for  which  he  was 
so  famous  all  his  life. 

Not  long  after  this  another  blessing  fell  to  Abe. 
A  young  man  moved  into  the  neighborhood  who 
knew  how  to  write,  and  he  offered  to  teach  Abe  if  he 
desired  it.  This  was  a  splendid  offer,  and  Abe 
accepted  it  with  all  his  heart.  He  wanted  to  begin 
that  very  day.  His  teacher  could  not  attend  to  it 
then,  but  promised  to  do  so  very  soon. 

Abe's  writing-book  was  the  top  of  the  table,  and 
his  pen  a  piece  of  chalk.  He  wrote  all  over  the 
cabin  stools,  and  sometimes  on  the  trunks  of  trees, 
with  a  stick  burned  at  one  end,  for  his  father  was  too 
poor  to  give  him  pen  or  paper.  Notwithstanding  all 
these  disadvantages  he  made  rapid  improvement  in 
this,  as  in  everything  else  he  undertook,  and  soon 
was  able  to  write  his  name.     Once  with  a  stick  he 


Mrs.  Lincoln  s  Funeral  Sermon.  35 


wrote  "  Abraham  Lincoln "  on  the  ground  in  his 
father's  corn-field.  Little  did  he  dream  that  the 
name  which  he  thus  wrote  on  the  soil  of  Indiana 
would  one  day  be  inscribed  by  his  public  acts  upon 
every  one  of  these  United  States  in  letters  of  gold, 
that  shall  shine  beyond  the  brightness  of  the  sun 
so  long  as  the  world  shall  stand. 

In  less  than  a  year  from  the  time  when  he  be- 
gan this  branch  of  his  education  Abe  was  able  to 
write  a  letter  for  his  father.  This  letter  was  an  invi- 
tation to  the  clergyman  who  used  sometimes  to 
preach  for  them  in  Kentucky,  to  come  and  deliver 
a  funeral  sermon  at  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Lincoln.  The 
letter  was  about  three  months  on  its  way. 

The  minister  accepted  the  invitation,  and  upon  his 
arrival  word  was  sent  around  to  all  the  neighbors. 
People  came  from  far  and  near  to  hear  the  sermon, 
some  from  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles.  Some  trav- 
elled on  horseback,  some  in  ox-carts,  while  many 
came  on  foot.  It  was  a  great  event,  as  they  seldom 
heard  a  sermon  of  any  kind ;  but  they  were  particu- 
larly desirous  to  hear  this,  for  Mrs.  Lincoln  was 
much  loved  and  respected.  It  was  soon  noised 
/abroad  that  Abe  wrote  the  letter  inviting  the  min- 
ister to  come,  for  Mr.  Lincoln  was  so  proud  of  it 
that  he  told  of  it.  After  this  Abe  had  plenty  of  let- 
ters to  write.  All  the  neighbors  employed  him  to 
write  theirs. 


CHAPTER   III. 

His  New  Mother. —  Her  Kindness.  —  Abe  goes  to  School. — 
The  Buck's  Horn.  —  The  Ruined  Book.  —  School  Inci- 
dents. —  Abe  leaves  School.  —  Goes  to  New  Orleans  in  a 
Flat-boat.  —  Dangers  of  the  Trip.  —  Safe  Return.  —  Death 
of  his  Sister. 


BOUT  one  year 
after  the  death  of 
his  wife  Mr.  Lin- 
cohi  married  Mrs. 
Sally  Johnston,  a 
widow,  with  three 
children  of  her 
own.  She  was  a 
superior  woman 
and  an  excellent 
m  o  t  h  e  r.  Abe 
loved  her  dearly, 
and  almost  felt  as 
if  his  own  dear 
mother  had  come 
back.     Mrs.    Lincoln    was    also   very   fond    of  Abe, 


SCHOOL- IN^A 


Holiest  Abe.  39 


and  treated  him  with  the  greatest  kindness,  doing 
all  she  could  to  promote  his  education. 

About  this  time  a  certain  Mr.  Crawford  moved  into 
the  neighborhood  and  opened  a  school.  He  could 
read  and  write,  and  also  knew  something  about 
arithmetic.  Abe's  mother,  as  we  shall  henceforth 
call  her,  wanted  very  much  to  have  Abe  attend  Mr. 
Crawford's  school.  So  she  dressed  him  up  as  nicely 
as  she  could.  She  made  him  a  cap  out  of  a  raccoon 
skin,  and  a  jacket  and  trousers  of  dressed  buckskin. 
His  father  hunted  up  an  old  arithmetic  for  him ;  and 
thus  equipped,  Abe  started  off  for  school,  very  proud 
and  happy.  He  was  persev^ering,  industrious,  and 
obedient;  and  Mr.  Crawford  became  very  much  at- 
tached to  him. 

But  Abe's  greatest  charm  in  his  teacher's  eyes  was 
his  perfect  truthfulness.  Mr.  Crawford  said  he  did 
not  think  anything  could  induce  the  boy  to  tell  a  lie. 
It  is  related  that  a  buck's  horns  were  nailed  to  the 
back  of  Mr.  Crawford's  house,  and  one  day  they  were 
found  broken.  Mr.  Crawford  went  into  the  school- 
room and  said,  "  Boys,  somebody  has  broken  my 
buck's  horns.  Do  any  of  you  know  who  did  it?" 
"Yes,  sir,"  said  Abe,  "I  did  it.  I  was  hanging  on 
them  with  my  whole  weight,  and  they  broke  right 
off.  I  did  not  think  they  would  break  or  I  should 
not  have  done  it,  and  I  am  very  sorry."     This  frank 


40       TJic    CJdldreiis  Life  of  AbraJiani  Lincoln. 

avowal  of  the  whole  truth  pleased  Mr.  Crawford  so 
much  that  he  forgot  all  about  the  buck's  horns  and 
forgave  Abe  immediately. 

But  Abe  soon  had  a  still  stronger  test  of  his  truth- 
fulness and  honesty.  Some  months  after  this  occur- 
rence, and  after  Abe  had  finished  his  term  of  school, 
he  found  that  Mr.  Crawford  owned  Ramsay's  "  Life  of 
Washington."  He  had  read  Weems's  "  Life  of  Wash- 
ington," but  he  wanted  very  much  to  read  this  one 
too ;  so  with  his  father's  permission  he  borrowed  the 
book.  Mr.  Crawford  was  very  happy  to  lend  it,  and 
told  Abe  to  keep  it  as  long  as  he  chose.  Abe  was 
delighted,  and  promised  to  be  very  careful.  He  meant 
to  keep  his  word  ;  but  alas  !  one  fatal  night,  when  he 
had  nearly  completed  it,  a  violent  storm  arose,  and 
the  wind  blew  the  rain  through  a  crack  in  the  side  of 
the  house  all  over  the  borrowed  book.  When  he 
came  down  in  the  morning,  it  was  drenched  through 
and  almost  ruined.  Poor  fellow !  he  did  n't  know 
what  to  do,  but  he  went  and  told  his  mother.  She 
kindly  sympathized  with  him,  and  carefully  dried  the 
book  before  the  fire  ;  but  the  covers  were  warped,  and 
its  appearance  was  spoiled. 

Abe  soon  decided  what  to  do.  He  took  the  book 
under  his  arm  and  walked  over  to  Mr.  Crawford's, 
and  showing  it  to  him  told  him  how  it  happened. 
"  Now,  sir,"  said  Abe,  when  he  had  finished  the  story, 


The  Peacemaker.  41 


"  I  must  pay  you  for  this  book,  but  I  have  n't  a  cent 
of  money  in  the  world ;  but  I  will  do  any  kind  of 
work  for  you  that  you  ask,  until  you  think  I  have 
paid  for  it."  So  Abe  promised  to  cut  a  whole  field 
of  corn-fodder,  and  it  took  him  three  days  to  do  it. 
As  he  was  about  to  leave  the  house,  Mr.  Crawford 
said,  "  Since  you  are  to  work  to  pay  for  the  book,  it 
is  yours,  and  you  can  take  it  home."  "  No,  sir,"  re- 
plied Abe;  "the  book  is  mine  when  I  have  paid  for 
it.  I  have  not  yet  done  the  work."  And  he  would 
not  take  it  until  the  task  was  accomplished.  Abe  thus 
endeared  himself  very  much  to  Mr.  Crawford,  who 
felt  sure  that  here  was  a  boy  who  could  be  trusted 
anywhere. 

Abe's  schoolmates  did  not  love  him  less  than  did 
his  teacher.  They  used  to  call  him  their  peacemaker; 
for  if  any  dispute  arose  among  them,  Abe  could  always 
settle  it.  If  any  accident  occurred,  Abe  was  always 
willing  to  take  more  than  his  share  of  the  blame.  He 
was  very  tender-hearted,  too,  and  could  not  endure 
to  see  pain  inflicted  upon  animals.  If  he  saw  his 
playmates  torturing  a  frog  or  a  fly  for  sport,  as 
boys  sometimes  will  do,  Abe  always  persuaded  them 
out  of  it.  He  often  amused  his  companions  by  mount- 
ing a  stump  and  making  speeches  to  them. 

As  I  have  already  told  you,  there  were  no  churches 
in  that  region,  but  occasionally  a  travelling  minister 


42       The    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

came  among  them,  and  then  a  meeting  was  called, 
and  Sunday  was  observed  in  the  usual  manner.  Abe 
had  such  an  excellent  memory  that  when  he  had 
once  heard  a  thing  he  remembered  it  so  correctly  as 
to  be  able  to  repeat  a  great  portion  of  it.  Accord- 
ingly, the  next  day  after  a  visit  from  one  of  these 
travelling  ministers,  Abe  would  mount  a  stump,  and 
preach  the  sermon  over  again  to  his  playmates  almost 
exactly  as  it  was  delivered  the  day  before. 

He  was  a  most  generous  boy,  too,  and  was  always 
willing  to  deny  himself  a  pleasure  for  the  sake  of 
obliging  others. 

And  another  thing:  he  was  never  late  at  school; 
the  boys  often  said  that  he  was  the  first  one  on  the 
ground.  Abe's  term  of  school  with  Mr.  Crawford 
amounted  to  only  a  few  months,  so  that  all  the  school 
education  he  ever  had  in  his  life  amounted  to  less 
than  one  year.  His  parents  regretted  exceedingly 
that  they  could  not  do  more  for  him,  but  they  were 
very  poor  and  needed  his  help.  But  they  made  great 
efforts  to  obtain  new  books  for  him.  His  mother 
bought  the  "Life  of  Henry  Clay"  for  him,  which 
greatly  interested  him.  He  admired  the  character  of 
Henry  Clay,  and  ever  after  called  himself  a  "  Clay 
Whig."  Abe  also  possessed  the  "  Life  of  Benjamin 
Franklin  "  and  "  Plutarch's  Lives." 

While  under  Mr.  Crawford's  tuition  he  advanced  in 


The   Wood-Chopper. 


43 


ABE   ON   THE   STUMP. 


arithmetic  as  far  as  the  rule  of  three,  or  simple  pro- 
portion. After  he  left  school  his  days  were  spent  in 
chopping  down  trees,  for  he  was  very  skilful  with  his 


44      ^/^^'    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

axe,  and  being  strong  and  healthy  and  large  for  his 
age,  was  able  to  accomplish  almost  as  much  as  a 
man.  But  his  evenings  were  spent  in  hard  study;  he 
did  not  mean  that  what  little  knowledge  he  had  ob- 
tained should  rust.  When  he  could  no  longer  hav^e 
a  teacher,  it  is  wonderful  how  much  he  was  able  to 
accomplish.  The  neighbors  looked  upon  him  as 
a  prodigy,  and  his  parents  were  very  proud  of  him,  as 
well  they  might  be  of  a  son  who  was  so  honest,  ener- 
getic, persevering,  and  industrious. 

Abe  passed  his  youth  in  this  manner,  assisting  his 
father  in  various  kinds  of  outdoor  labor  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

One  day  about  this  time  a  man  came  to  see  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  said  he  should  like  to  hire  Abe  to  go 
to  New  Orleans  for  him  on  a  flat-boat,  and  that  he 
would  give  him  ten  dollars  a  month. 

Abe's  eyes  sparkled  when  he  heard  of  this  propo- 
sition. Ten  dollars  a  month  was  a  great  deal  of 
money  for  him  to  earn.  It  looked  like  a  small 
fortune  to  him.  Besides,  he  wanted  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  world,  for  he  had  never  been  more  than 
a  few  miles  beyond  his  father's  cabin.  This  man 
who  wished  to  employ  him  had  a  son  about  Abe's 
age,  and  the  plan  was  to  have  these  two  boys  take 
a  flat-boat  loaded  with  various  stores  to  New  Orleans. 

Mr.  Lincoln    told    Abe  he  could   go  if  he  chose, 


Down  the  Mississippi.  45 

although  he  would  find  it  very  hard  work.  But  as 
Abe  cared  no  more  for  hard  work  than  you  care  for 
play,  he  said  that  was  nothing,  and  he  should  like  to 
go.  So  the  expedition  was  decided  upon,  and  Abe 
seems  to  have  been  the  captain. 

The  flat-boat  was  loaded  up,  and  when  all  was  ready 
the  two  boys  set  off  in  great  glee;  but  they  found 
that  the  trip  not  only  caused  them  some  hard  work, 
but  was  attended  with  considerable  danger,  as  you 
shall  hear.  Their  course  was  to  float  down  the  Ohio 
River  into  the  Mississippi,  and  then  down  the  Missis- 
sippi to  New  Orleans. 

When  the  weather  was  pleasant,  they  had  a  fine 
time.  They  floated  as  far  as  they  could  during  the 
day,  and  at  night  pulled  the  boat  up  alongside  the 
river's  bank  and  tied  it  fast;  then  spreading  a  blanket 
upon  the  deck,  they  lay  down  and  slept  soundly  until 
morning.  When  they  awoke  they  washed  themselves 
in  the  river,  cooked  their  breakfast,  and  pushed  off 
again.  But  sometimes  violent  storms  would  come 
on,  which  drenched  them  to  the  skin,  for  they  had 
no  cabin,  and  no  roof  but  the  sky.  However,  they 
did  not  mind  such  trifles,  but  floated  along  as  gay  as 
birds  until  they  arrived  at  New  Orleans.  And  here 
began  the  danger  to  which  I  alluded. 

One  night  they  had  tied  the  boat  as  usual  along- 
side the  bank,  and  were  just    ready   to  go  to  sleep 


46       The    CJiildreiis  Life  of  AbraJiani  Lincoln. 

when  Abe  heard  a  sHght  noise.  Arousing  his  com- 
panion, he  told  him  to  hsten.  Presently  they  de- 
scried approaching  through  the  darkness  a  figure 
black  as  night,  and  directly  a  stout  negro  jumped 
upon  the  boat.  Abe  seized  a  club  and  beat  the 
fellow  off;  then  another  stalwart  form  and  yet  an- 
other came  in  sight,  until  it  appeared  that  a  party 
of  seven  had  come  to  rcb  them.  Abe  made  good  use 
of  his  club,  —  his  only  weapon,  —  and  with  the  help 
of  his  companion  the  robbers  were  soon  put  to  flight. 
For  greater  safety  the  boat  was  now  untied  and 
pushed  out  into  the  middle  of  the  river. 

Soon  after  this  event  the  two  lads  set  out  for  home 
with  a  pocketful  of  money,  —  the  proceeds  of  their 
cargo.  In  due  time  they  arrived  safe  among  their 
friends,  and  were  not  a  little  proud  of  their  voyage 
of  eighteen  hundred  miles  in  a  flat-boat.  Abe's  em- 
ployer was  highly  gratified  with  the  results  of  the 
expedition,  and  told  him  that  he  had  made  excellent 
bargains  and  was  a  capital  merchant.  Thus  Abe's 
first  experience  in  business  was,  on  the  whole,  very 
pleasant.  His  heart  was  soon  made  sad,  however, 
by  the  death  of  his  sister,  which  happened  one  year 
after  her  marriage. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Removal  to  Illinois.  —  Incidents  of  the  Journey.  —  Arrival. — 
He  builds  a  Log-cabin.  —  Splits  Rails.  —  Goes  to  seek  his 
Fortune.  —  The  Armstrongs.  —  Goes  to  New  Orleans. — 
Life  in  New  Salem.  —  Pursues  his  Education  by  Himself. 


THOMAS  LINCOLN 
now  began  to  contemplate 
another  move.  Almost 
fabulous  accounts  had 
reached  him  of  the  rich- 
ness of  the  prairie  lands 
in  Illinois,  and  he  thought 
he  should  like  to  go  thith- 
er and  try  his  fortune. 
There  were  two  other  families  in  the  neighborhood 
who  had  the  same  desire,  but  nothing  was  fully  de- 
cided upon  until  the  month  of  March,  in  the  year 
1830;  then  preparations  were  made  for  removal. 
Abe  was  now  twenty-one  years  old,  and  was  a  most 
important  aid  to  all  concerned.  The  journey  this 
time  was  to  be  performed  in  an  ox-cart.  The  women, 
children,  and  furniture  were  to  be  packed  into  this 


48      The    Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

clumsy  vehicle,  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen,  while 
the  men  were  to  walk  and  drive  the  team.  In  this 
manner  they  started  for  Illinois,  Abe  taking  charge 
of  one  yoke  of  oxen. 

The  journey,  which  was  a  very  tedious  one  and 
sometimes  dangerous,  occupied  two  weeks  and  a  day. 
They  came  at  length  to  the  Kaskaskia  River,  which 
had  overflowed  its  banks  till  the  adjoining  meadows 
were  several  feet  under  water.  The  way  now  looked 
too  dangerous  to  proceed  any  farther,  and  most  of 
the  party  advised  that  some  other  road  should  be 
sought.  But  Abe  said  it  would  never  do  to  give  it 
up  so ;  that  he  was  not  afraid  to  be  pilot  and  go 
ahead,  and  that  if  he  went  under  water  the  rest  could 
turn  back.  But  Abe  was  not  destined  to  go  under 
water.  He  pushed  boldly  on,  and  was  followed  by 
the  others.  All  finally  reached  dry  ground  in  safety, 
although  for  three  miles  the  water  came  up  to  the 
men's  waists. 

Their  destination,  which  was  nearly  in  the  centre 
of  the  State,  was  on  the  north  side  of  Sangamon 
River,  ten  miles  west  of  Decatur,  in  the  County  of 
Macon.  Here  the  party  at  length  arrived.  Mr.  Lin-, 
coin  selected  ten  acres  of  land  for  his  farm,  and  with 
Abe's  assistance  immediately  erected  a  log-cabin  for 
the  family  to  live  in.  Then  Abe,  who  was  very  skil- 
ful in  the  business,  split  rails  enough,  with  the  assist- 


Abe  Leaves  Home.  ^g 


ance  of  John  Hanks,  to  fence  in  the  whole  ten  acres. 
These  are  the  celebrated  rails  that  have  made  such  a 
noise  in  the  world.  Little  did  Abe  imagine,  when 
splitting  them,  of  the  use  to  which  some  of  them 
would  be  put.  We  shall  hear  more  about  them  by 
and  by. 

Abe  remained  with  his  father  about  a  year  longer, 
until  he  saw  him  comfortably  settled  in  his  new  home, 
and  then  announced  his  intention  of  going  away  to 
seek  his  fortune.  Mr.  Lincoln  could  offer  no  objec- 
tion to  this,  for  Abe  had  been  a  faithful  son  ;  yet  both 
he  and  his  wife  were  very  sorry  to  part  with  him. 

Abe  went  away  to  Menard  County,  near  Petersburg, 
and  worked  all  summer  on  a  farm  for  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Armstrong.  This  man  had  a  son  not  far 
from  Abe's  age,  though  he  was  very  far  from  being  as 
good  a  young  man.  In  truth,  he  was  a  very  wild 
young  man.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong  quickly  saw 
what  a  good  youth  Abe  was,  and  urged  him  to  remain 
with  them,  hoping  his  good  influence  might  be  of 
benefit  to  their  graceless  son.  Abe  accepted  their 
kind  invitation,  and  continued  with  them  during  the 
winter,  pursuing  his  studies  by  himself.  There  was 
no  work  to  be  done  on  the  farm  during  the  winter, 
and  Abe  could  not  afford  to  pay  his  board  in  money; 
but  the  Armstrongs  did  not  care  for  that,  for  they 
wanted  him  for  his  company.     And  so  he  had  a  fine 

4 


50      TJic    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

opportunity  for  study,  and  never  forgot  their  kind- 
ness. You  shall  hear  by  and  by  how  he  afterward 
repaid  it. 

When  spring  came,  Abe  made  another  expedition 
to  New  Orleans  on  a  flat-boat ;  but  this  time-  he  built 
the  boat  which  he  used.  He  was  as  successful  in 
this  trip  as  he  had  been  in  the  former  one,  and  upon 
his  return  his  employer  placed  him  in  charge  of  his 
mill  and  store,  in  a  town  called  New  Salem. 

Abe  became  very  popular  at  this  place,  and  the 
store  was  a  favorite  resort;  for  he  was  so  prompt  and 
exact  in  all  his  business  dealings  that  he  won  the  con- 
fidence of  all.  It  was  at  this  period  that  he  received 
the  name  of  "  Honest  Abe,"  a  title  by  which  he  was 
known  through  life.  Being  very  agreeable  in  his  man- 
ners, and  always  having  some  pleasant  story  to  tell, 
beside  being  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to 
those  in  trouble,  he  soon  became  a  universal  favorite. 

But  with  all  his  business  cares,  Abe  never  for  a 
moment  lost  sight  of  his  studies.  He  procured  a 
grammar,  and  with  the  occasional  help  of  a  clerk  in 
the  store  mastered  its  contents.  He  found  it  a  pretty 
difficult  study,  but  that  did  not  discourage  him.  Every 
leisure  moment  during  the  day  found  him  with  his 
book,  and  he  often  studied  half  the  night.  This  is 
the  way,  my  children,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  got  his 
education. 


^oC<=C^|| 

m 

i'Cl  1 

^\ 

m 

1, 

!^55S=^^l| 

CHAPTER   V. 

Black  Hawk  War.  —  Mr.  Lincoln  is  nominated  for  the  Le<jisla- 
ture,  but  is  defeated.  —  He  buys  a  Store.  —  Becomes  a  Sur- 
veyor. —  He  is  chosen  to  the  Legislature.  —  Decides  to 
become  a  Lawyer.  —  A  Long  Walk.  —  He  is  admitted  to 
the  Bar.  —  Trial  of  Young  Armstrong.  —  Mr.  Lincoln's 
Marriage. 

HEN  things  had  been  going  on  some  months 
in  this  manner,  a  war  broke  out.  It  was 
called  the  Black  Hawk  War.  During  the 
previous  year  the  Sac  and  other  Indian 
tribes  had  caused  some  trouble,  until  at  length  it 
could  no  longer  be  borne,  and  in  the  year  1832  war 
was  declared. 

The  Governor  of  Illinois  called  for  troops,  and  Abe 
immediately  enlisted.  His  companions  quickly  fol- 
lowed his  example  ;  and  a  company  was  soon  formed 
in  New  Salem,  of  which  Abe,  greatly  to  his  astonish- 
ment, was  chosen  captain. 

The  company  began  their  march  to  the  seat  of  war 
April  27,  having  enlisted  for  thirty  days.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  time  Abe  re-enlisted  as  a  private 
for  the  same  period,  and  when  the  second  term  was 


52       TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

up  again  re-enlisted,  and  remained  with  the  regiment 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  told  his  friends  after 
his  return  that  although  he  had  n't  seen  any  live, 
fighting  Indians,  he  had  fought  a  good  many  bloody 
battles  with  the  mosquitoes. 

Abe  had  not  been  long  at  home  before  a  new 
field  of  action  was  opened  to  him.  Some  gentlemen 
called  upon  him  one  day  before  he  went  to  the  war, 
and  told  him  that  the  people  wished  to  nominate  him 
for  the  Legislature.  Before  leaving,  he  announced  in 
a  hand-bill  circular,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
time,  that  he  would  consent  to  be  a  candidate. 

I  fear  you  will  hardly  understand  this,  children, 
without  a  little  explanation.  A  body  of  men  meet 
every  year  in  the  capital  city  of  every  State  in  the 
Union,  in  a  building  called  the  State  House,  to  dis- 
cuss the  interests  of  the  public  and  to  make  laws  for 
the  people.  This  bod}^  is  called  the  Legislature,  and 
the  men  composing  it  are  chosen  by  the  people. 
When  a  member  is  to  be  chosen,  several  candidates, 
as  they  are  called,  are  usually  nominated,  and  every 
citizen  has  a  right  to  vote  for  the  man  he  likes  best. 
The  candidate  who  receives  the  largest  number  of 
votes  is  elected. 

Now,  although  Abe  received  a  great  many  votes,  he 
did  not  have  enough  to  elect  him.  He  was  now  out 
of  business  ;  so  he  thought  he  would  try  being  a  mer- 


The   Young  Legislator.  53 

chant.  He  purchased  a  store  and  a  stock  of  goods 
on  credit  because  he  had  no  money;  but  he  hoped  to 
make  enough  by  and  by  to  pay  for  them.  He  was 
also  appointed  postmaster. 

The  store  proving  very  unprofitable,  he  soon  sold 
out,  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  surveying  or 
measuring  of  land.  Abe  had  not  been  taught  how 
to  do  this ;  but  he  bought  a  book  containing  the 
proper  instructions,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  a  gen- 
tleman by  the  name  of  John  Calhoun,  soon  under- 
stood the  matter  very  well.  He  bought  a  compass 
and  chain,  and  began  his  new  work.  This  was 
quite  a  profitable  business,  and  Abe  made  a  very 
good  living  by  it.  He  continued  to  survey  land 
until  the  month  of  August,  1834,  when  he  was  again 
nominated  for  the  Legislature  and  chosen  by  a  large 
majority. 

Very  soon  after  Abe  became  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature, he  made  up  his  mind  to  begin  the  study 
of  law.  And  now  I  think  we  must  call  him  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, for  by  this  time  he  had  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years;  yet  he  was  called  "Honest  Old 
Abe  "  as  long  as  he  lived. 

As  soon  as  he  had  decided  to  become  a  lawyer,  a 
friend  offered  to  lend  him  the  necessary  books.  To 
obtain  them,  however,  he  had  to  walk  to  Springfield,  a 
distance  of  twenty-two  miles.     The  journey  there  and 


54       TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Liiicohi. 

back  again  was  performed  in  one  day,  —  a  pleasant 
little  walk  of  forty-four  miles.  And  what  is  more,  he 
carried  in  his  arms  on  the  homeward  trip  four  heavy 
law-books.  And  besides  all  that,  he  studied  half  the 
way,  and  on  the  road  learned  his  first  lesson  in  law. 
When  he  got  home  this  lesson  was  correctly  recited 
to  a  friend.  Thus  you  will  observe  his  great  indus- 
try.    He  could  not  afford  to  waste  a  moment. 

He  studied  so  diligently  that  in  about  two  years, 
or  in  1836,  he  was  fitted  to  enter  upon  the  practice 
of  law.  The  following  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  soon  after  left  New  Salem  and  went  to  live  in 
Springfield,  where  he  became  a  partner  of  the  Hon. 
John  T.  Stuart,  the  gentleman  who  loaned  him  the 
law-books. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  four 
times,  —  first  in  1834,  as  I  have  told  you;  then  at 
every  succeeding  election  till   1840. 

I  hope,  children,  you  have  not  forgotten  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Armstrong,  who  were  so  kind  to  Mr.  Lincoln 
the  year  he  went  out  into  the  world  to  seek  his 
fortune ;  nor  how  I  told  you  that  he  was  able  after- 
wards to  return  their  kindness.  It  happened  in  this 
way.  The  character  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  son  did  not 
improve.  He  continued  to  be  a  great  sorrow  to  his 
parents  while  they  both  lived.  His  father  was  now 
dead,  and  he  was  no  comfort  to  his  mother.     One 


A    Welcome  Letter.  55 

night  he  went  to  a  camp-meeting.  There  were  several 
fellows  present  as  bad  as  himself,  and  some  much 
worse,  who  had  not  come  for  a  religious  purpose,  but 
to  make  fun  and  disturb  the  meeting.  They  behaved 
so  badly  that  by  and  by  the  affair  ended  in  a  riot,  and 
a  man  was  killed. 

The  murder  was  charged  to  this  young  Armstrong, 
who  was  immediately  arrested  and  carried  off  to  jail 
to  await  his  trial.  His  mother,  poor  woman !  was 
now  in  great  distress.  She  knew  her  son  was  bad, 
but  she  did  not  believe  that  he  would  commit  murder ; 
besides,  he  was  the  only  one  she  had  in  all  the  world 
to  depend  upon.  It  was  a  sad  case.  The  poor  widow 
could  not  afford  to  pay  a  lawyer  to  examine  the  evi- 
dence and  see  if  there  was  any  chance  for  her  son's 
acquittal.  She  expected  that  he  would  be  condemned 
to  die.  But  one  day,  when  things  were  at  the  darkest, 
she  received  a  very  unexpected  letter,  which  ran  thus : 

Springfield,  Illinois,  September,  18—. 
Dear  Mrs.  Armstrong,  —  I  have  just  heard  of  your  deep 
affliction,  and  the  arrest  of  your  son  for  murder.  I  can 
hardly  believe  that  he  can  be  guilty  of  the  crime  alleged 
against  him.  It  does  not  seem  possible.  I  am  anxious  that 
he  should  have  a  fair  trial,  at  any  rate ;  and  gratitude  for 
your  long-continued  kindness  to  me  in  adverse  circumstances 
prompts  me  to  offer  my  humble  services  gratuitously  in  his 
behalf     It   will   afford   me   an  opportunity  to  requite,  in  a 


56       The  CJiildren's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

small  degree,  the  favors  I  received  at  your  hand,  and  that 

of  your   lamented   husband,  when   your  roof  afforded  me 

grateful  shelter,  without  money  and  without  price. 

Yours  truly, 

Abraham  Lincoln. 

This  noble  letter  lifted  a  great  weight  from  Mrs. 
Armstrong's  heart.  She  felt  as  if  God  had  sent  it  in 
answer  to  her  prayers,  and  that  her  son  would  yet  be 
found  innocent.  The  day  for  trial  came,  and  the  eva- 
dence  brought  against  this  young  man  appeared  so 
strong  that  it  did  not  seem  as  if  there  could  be  a  ray 
of  hope  for  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  sat  quietly  and  listened 
to  every  word.  When  all  the  evidence  had  been 
given  in,  he  arose  and  reviewed  the  whole  testimony. 

One  witness  had  said  that  when  the  murder  was 
committed  the  moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  he 
saw  the  prisoner  inflict  the  death-blow. 

Mr.  Lincoln  turned  to  the  jurymen  and  said: 
"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  this  witness  states  that 
upon  a  certain  hour  of  a  certain  evening  the  murder 
was  committed,  and,  the  moon  shining  brightly  at  the 
time,  he  saw  the  prisoner  inflict  the  death-wound. 
Now,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  by  consulting  your  alma- 
nacs you  will  find  that  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen  at 
the  hour  of  the  evening  on  which  witness  states  that 
he  saw  it  shining  brightly.  Thus  he  has  perjured 
himself,  and  his  testimony  is  good  for  nothing." 


Yoli  arc  Free.'"  ty 


Mr.  Lincoln's  whole  plea  for  young  Armstrong  was 
so  touching  that  it  drew  tears  from  many  eyes,  and 
so  convincing  that  before  he  had  finished  all  felt  sure 
that  the  prisoner  was  innocent.  It  was  nearly  night 
when  Mr.  Lincoln  concluded  with  these  words:  "If 
justice  is  done,  as  I  believe  it  will  be,  before  the 
sun  shall  set  it  will  shine  upon  my  client  a  free 
man." 

The  jury  retired,  and  at  the  expiration  of  half  an 
hour  returned  with  the  verdict,  "  Not  guilty." 

The  poor  widow  dropped  into  the  arms  of  her  son, 
who,  tenderly  supporting  her,  told  her  to  behold  him 
free  and  innocent.  Then  crying  out,  "  Where  is  Mr. 
Lincoln?"  he  rushed  across  the  court-room  and 
grasped  his  deliverer's  hand  without  uttering  a  word; 
his  emotion  was  so  great  that  he  could  not  speak. 
Mr.  Lincoln  pointed  to  the  west  and  said.  "  It  is  not 
yet  sundown,  and  you  arc  free." 

Mr.  Lincoln  now  practised  law  for  several  years, 
and  soon  became  eminent  in  his  profession.  Since 
coming  to  Springfield  he  had  lived  in  the  family  of 
his  friend,  Hon.  William  Butler;  but  at  length  he  re- 
solved to  take  unto  himself  a  wife  and  have  a  home 
of  his  own. 

Accordingly,  on  the  4th  of  November,  in  the  year 
1842,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Todd,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Robert  S.  Todd,  of  Lexington,  Kcntuckv. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Explanation  of  the  United  States  Government.  —  Presidential 
Campaign  of  1844. —  Lincoln  is  chosen  Representative  to 
Congress.  —  Annexation  of  Texas.  — ■  The  Mexican  War.  — 
The  Wilmot  Proviso.  —  The  Tariff. 


■|R.  LINCOLN  did  not  allow  the  attractions 
of  his  home  nor  the  duties  of  his  profes- 
sion to  absorb  all  his  attention.  He  never 
neglected  political  matters,   and  was  one 


of  the  leading  members  of  the  Whig  party  in  Illinois. 
In  1840  and  also  in  1847  he  was  their  candidate  for 
Presidential  Elector. 

Now,  that  you  may  understand  exactly  what  this 
means,  and  also  all  that  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about 
Mr.  Lincoln's  public  life,  I  think  I  must  explain  to 
you,  in  the  first  place,  how  these  United  States  are 
governed. 

Each  State,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  has  a  govern- 
ment of  its  own,  which  is  vested  in  its  Legislature  ;  and 
all  the  States  together  make  the  United  States.  Now, 
in  order  that  these  States  may  always  remain  United 
States,  and  form  one  great  and  noble  country,  instead 


TJlc  Government  of  the  United  States.         59 

of  a  great  many  small  and  independent  countries, 
)'ou  will  see  that  every  State  must  be  governed  by 
the  same  laws.  For  this  purpose,  a  good  many  years 
ago,  when  this  nation  was  in  its  infancy,  some  wise 
men  from  several  different  States  met  together,  and 
after  thinking  about  the  matter  a  great  deal,  and  talk- 
ing it  over  very  carefully  a  great  many  times,  they  at 
length  drew  up  a  very  remarkable  and  wonderful 
paper  called  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
After  a  while  all  the  different  States  agreed  to  adopt 
it ;   that  is,  they  promised  to  mind  what  it  said. 

This  paper,  or  Constitution,  said  that  the  government 
of  the  United  States  should  consist  of  three  branches : 
the  legislative,  the  executive,  and  the  judicial. 

The  legislative  power  —  that  is,  the  power  by 
which  the  laws  of  the  country  are  made  —  is  vested 
in  a  body  of  men  called  Congress.  Congress  con- 
sists of  two  houses,  —  the  Senate  and  the  House  of 
Representatives. 

The  Senate  is  formed  as  follows :  The  Legislature 
of  each  State  in  the  Union  can  select  any  two  men 
who  are  properly  qualified  as  the  Senators  of  their 
own  State.  These  Senators  are  chosen  for  six  years  ; 
but  the  matter  is  so  arranged  that  one  third  of  the 
whole  body  of  Senators  goes  out  of  office  every  two 
years.  Thus  every  State  in  the  Union,  however 
small,  has  two  Senators  in  Congress. 


6o      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  House  of  Representatives  is  formed  somewhat 
differently.  The  people  of  each  State  choose  a  cer- 
tain number  of  men  to  be  the  representatives  of  their 
own  State.  The  precise  number  to  be  chosen  de- 
pends upon  the  number  of  inhabitants.  But  all  the 
States  together  can  send  at  present  (1892)  three 
hundred  and  thirty-two  Representatives.  These  are 
chosen  for  two  years.  Thus  Congress  now  con- 
sists of  twice  as  many  Senators  as  there  are  States, 
and  three  hundred  and  thirty-two  Representatives ; 
and  every  State,  however  small,  can  send  at  least  one 
Representative. 

Now,  this  great  body  of  men  must  have  some  one 
person  for  a  head.  Every  ship  must  have  a  captain, 
and  the  ship  of  State  must  have  its  captain  too,  or  it 
would  not  sail  very  smoothly.  This  head  man  is 
called  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  in  him 
is  vested  the  executive  branch  of  the  Government. 
Captains  usually  have  lieutenants ;  and  the  President's 
lieutenant  is  the  Vice-President,  who  stands  ready  to 
take  the  President's  place  in  case  he  is  unable  to 
attend  to  his  duties  himself. 

The  Constitution  directs  that  the  President  and 
the  Vice-President  be  chosen  in  the  following  manner. 
Once  in  every  four  years  the  people  in  each  State 
choose  as  many  men  as  they  have  Senators  and  Rep- 
resentatives counted  together.     These  men  are  called 


Presidential   Electors.  6 1 


Presidential    Electors,  because  they  elect  or  choose 
the  President. 

These  Electors  meet,  at  a  certain  time  in  their  re- 
spective States,  and  vote  for  the  President  and  the 
Vice-President.  The  name  of  the  man  they  vote  for 
is  written  down  on  a  piece  of  paper,  put  into  an 
envelope,  sealed  up,  and  sent  to  Congress.  These 
envelopes  are  opened  and  the  votes  counted  in  the 
presence  of  the  Senate  and  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. The  man  who  has  received  a  majority  of  the 
electoral  votes  becomes  the  President.  The  Vice- 
President  is  chosen  in  the  same  manner. 

Thus  you  see  that  every  man  in  the  United  States 
who  is  capable  of  voting  has  something  to  do  and  to 
say  about  who  shall  govern  him. 

But  you  may  think  that  the  people  do  not  really 
choose  the  President  and  the  Vice-President,  —  that 
the  Electors  choose  them.  Now,  although  this  is  true 
in  one  sense,  yet  it  is  just  as  true  that  the  people 
choose  them.  You  must  remember  that  the  people 
choose  the  Electors,' and  the  Electors  know  whom 
the  people  that  have  chosen  them  wish  and  expect 
them  to  vote  for ;   so  they  vote  as  the  people  wish. 

The  nation  is  usually  divided  into  two  great  politi- 
cal parties,  though  sometimes  there  have  been  more 
than  two.  Both  parties  desire  the  good  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  wish  to   choose  those  men  for  rulers  who 


62      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

will,  they  think,  do  the  nation  the  most  good.  But 
these  two  parties  do  not  think  exactly  alike  as  to 
what  will  be  for  the  good  of  the  nation.  Sometimes 
their  views  are  very  different  indeed ;  but  each  party 
tells  what  it  does  think,  so  that  every  man  can  judge 
for  himself,  and  join  whichever  party  he  prefers. 

Now,  each  of  these  political  parties  agrees  upon 
some  particular  man  as  its  candidate  for  President, 
and  then  each  party  chooses  its  own  Electors,  so  that 
the  people  know  definitely  for  whom  the  Electors 
will  vote. 

We  left  Mr.  Lincoln  as  Whig  candidate  for  Presi- 
dential Elector.  At  that  time  the  two  great  political 
parties  were  called  Whigs  and  Democrats. 

In  the  year  1844  the  Whig  party  desired  to  have 
Henry  Clay  for  President.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  great 
admirer  of  Mr.  Clay.  You  will  recollect  that  one  of 
the  favorite  books  of  his  boyhood  was  the  life  of  that 
great  statesman.  After  Mr.  Lincoln  became  a  man, 
he  continued  to  like  Mr.  Clay  just  as  much  as  before, 
and  thought  nobody  in  the  tJnited  States  would 
make  so  good  a  President  as  Mr.  Clay. 

Some  months  before  a  President  is  to  be  chosen 
the  whole  country  is  in  a  state  of  great  excitement. 
Each  political  party  holds  a  national  convention,  and 
nominates  its  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  Poli- 
ticians   go   about    in   the    different    States,    making 


Mr.  Lincoln  goes  to  Congress.  63 


speeches  in  praise  of  their  favorite  candidates,  and 
there  are  torchhght  processions  and  bands  of  music, 
and  all  sorts  of  things  are  done  to  arouse  the  people. 
This  is  called  the  Presidential  campaign.  So  in  the 
Presidential  campaign  of  1844  Mr.  Lincoln  went  all 
over  the  State  of  Illinois,  making  speeches  in  praise 
of  Henry  Clay. 

In  the  same  year  the  Democrats  nominated  James 
K.  Polk  as  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  Mr. 
Polk  was  elected  instead  of  Mr.  Clay  because  he 
received  the  greatest  number  of  electoral  votes ;  and 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  ^^  was  inaugurated  Presi- 
dent of  these  United  States. 

The  next  year  after  this  the  Whig  party  of  Illinois 
chose  Mr.  Lincoln  as  their  Representative  to  Con- 
gress. Illinois  sent  seven  Representatives  that  year; 
but  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  only  Whig  among  them,  the 
rest  being  Democrats. 

Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  seat  in  Congress  on  the  first 
Monday  in  December,  1847.  At  this  period  some 
questions  of  great  importance  were  before  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  some  of  them  seemed  very  difficult 
indeed  to  settle.  The  Senators  and  Representatives 
in  their  respective  houses  had  some  most  exciting 
and  stormy  discussions.  Mr.  Lincoln's  voice  was 
frequently  heard,  and  he  always  voted  for  or  against 
every  measure  that  was  under  consideration. 


64      TJu  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 

From  time  to  time  since  the  United  States  first 
became  a  nation  new  States  have  been  admitted  into 
the  Union.  Just  before  Mr.  Polk  was  inaugurated 
Congress  had  decided  to  admit  Texas,  which  before 
this  had  been  an  independent  repubhc.  The  Texans 
were  for  the  most  part  very  glad  of  this,  for  they 
were  so  poor  they  could  not  pay  their  debts  ;  and 
besides,  Mexico  was  always  quarrelling  with  them, 
and  they  had  found  it  difficult  to  sustain  an  indepen- 
dent government.  They  were  only  too  glad,  there- 
fore, to  be  under  the  protection  and  make  a  part  of 
so  powerful  a  nation  as  the  United  States. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  great  many  persons  in  the 
United  States  did  not  approve  of  this  measure.  They 
thought  we  already  had  territory  enough  without 
adding  any  more.  Besides,  they  knew  that  if  Texas 
were  admitted,  she  would  come  into  the  Union  as  a 
slave  State;  and  they  thought  it  would  be  a  great 
misfortune  to  have  such  an  accession  to  the  slave- 
power.  These  persons  considered  slavery  a  great 
evil,  and  thought  it  would  be  much  better  if  there 
were  not  a  single  slave  in  the  United  States. 

But  there  were  others  who  thought  slavery  right ; 
and  again,  there  w^ere  others  who,  if  they  did  not 
think  it  exactly  right,  argued  that  it  would  be  best 
for  the  country  not  to  have  any  noise  or  excitement 
about  the  matter,  and  if  another  slave  State  desired 


TJie  Mexican   War.  65 


to  enter  the  Union,  why,  let  her  come.  So  there 
was  a  great  difference  of  opinion,  and  the  annexation 
of  Texas  was  talked  about  a  great  while  before  it  was 
finally  decided  upon. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was,  from  the  first,  very  much  opposed 
to  it  and  voted  against  it.  He  always  thought  slav- 
ery was  wrong,  and  did  not  want  to  have  its  power 
increased. 

Pretty  soon  after  Texas  was  admitted  into  the 
Union,  a  war  broke  out  with  Mexico,  It  was  called 
the  Mexican  War.  As  I  have  already  told  you,  the 
Mexicans  and  Texans  were  always  quarrelling.  One 
of  the  things  they  disputed  about  was  this :  The 
Texans  contended  that  their  territory  extended  as  far 
as  the  Rio  Grande  River,  while  the  Mexicans  said 
that  the  Rio  Grande  belonged  to  them,  and  the 
Texans  had  no  right  to  any  country  beyond  the 
river  Nueces. 

By  looking  on  the  map  of  North  America,  children, 
you  will  see  that  Mexico  and  Texas  join  each  other ; 
you  will  see,  too,  that  quite  a  space  of  country  lies 
between  the  rivers  Rio  Grande  and  Nueces.  Of 
course,  some  boundary-line  must  be  decided  upon  as 
separating  the  two  countries;  the  Mexicans  said,  "  It 
must  be  the  Nueces :  "  and  the  Texans  said,  "  No,  it 
must  be  the  Rio  Grande."  President  Polk  thought 
the   Rio   Grande   was   the   proper  dividing-line,   and 

5 


66       The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

accordingly  sent  a  body  of  United  States  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  to  a 
town  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nueces,  called  Corpus 
Christi,  to  repel  the  Mexicans,  in  case  they  invaded 
our  own  soil,  as  he  called  it,  —  that  is,  the  disputed 
country  between  the  Nueces  and  the  Rio  Grande. 

General  Taylor  remained  at  his  post  several  months, 
and  then  received  orders  to  advance  with  his  army 
toward  the  Rio  Grande.  On  the  8th  of  JMarch,  1846, 
he  began  to  move,  and  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month 
arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  river,  opposite  the  town  of 
Matamoras,  and  began  to  build  a  fort  which  he  called 
Fort  Brown.  Upon  this  the  Mexicans  began  to  throw 
up  batteries  and  redoubts.  Some  time  in  April  a 
slight  collision  occurred  between  the  army  of  General 
Taylor  and  that  of  the  Mexicans,  under  General 
Arista. 

When  this  news  reached  Washington,  President  Polk 
issued  a  special  message  to  Congress,  declaring  that 
war  existed  by  the  act  of  Mexico,  —  that  the  Mexican 
Government  had  at  last  invaded  our  territory,  and 
shed  the  blood  of  our  citizens  on  our  own  soil,  —  and 
asked  for  men  and  money  to  prosecute  the  war.  His 
request  was  granted.  But  although  Congress  ap- 
proved of  what  President  Polk  had  done,  a  great 
many  persons  in  the  United  States  did  not  approve 
of  it.     They  thought  the   question   of  the   disputed 


The  Treaty  of  Peace  with  Mexico.  67 

territory  might  have  been  settled  in  some  other 
way,  and  some  of  them  did  not  think  this  disputed 
ground  ever  belonged  to  Texas;  they  did  not  con- 
sider that  the  Mexicans  had  shed  the  blood  of  our 
citizens  on  our  own  soil,  but  that  the  soil  in  ques- 
tion belonged  to  Mexico,  and  that  we  were  the 
invaders. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of  those  who  held  this  opin- 
ion. But  although  he  voted  against  the  war,  and  said 
he  did  not  think  it  was  righteously  begun  by  the 
President,  still  he  always  voted  for  any  appropriation 
which  Congress  desired  to  make  to  pay  the  soldiers 
who  went  to  the  war. 

The  United  States  troops  fought  the  Mexicans  with 
great  vigor  until,  after  a  series  of  battles,  our  forces 
entered  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  planted  the  American 
flag  on  the  top  of  the  national  palace.  The  Mexicans 
were  now  obliged  to  admit  that  we  had  beaten  them, 
and  said  they  were  willing  to  come  to  terms  with  the 
United  States.  Accordingly,  a  treaty  was  made,  and 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1848,  peace  was  proclaimed  by 
President  Polk. 

By  the  terms  of  this  treaty,  Mexico  gave  up  all 
claim  to  the  disputed  territory  between  the  Nueces 
and  the  Rio  Grande,  and  also  ceded  to  the  United 
States  the  whole  of  New  Mexico  and  California.  In 
return  for  this  territory,  the  United  States  gave  to 


68       The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mexico  fifteen  millions  of  dollars,  and  paid  some  of 
her  debts ;  this  amounted  to  about  three  and  a  half 
millions  more. 

And  now  there  was  a  great  contention  in  Congress 
as  to  whether  slavery  should  be  allowed  to  exist  in 
this  new  territory  acquired  from  Mexico.  In  the 
session  of  Congress  immediately  preceding  the  one 
of  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  member,  a  certain  Mr. 
Wilmot,  a  Representative  from  Pennsylvania,  offered 
an  amendment  to  a  bill  which  was  under  considera- 
tion to  enable  President  Polk  to  negotiate  a  peace 
with  Mexico. 

The  substance  of  the  amendment  was  this :  that 
neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  shall  ever 
exist  in  any  of  the  Territories  acquired  by  or  annexed 
to  the  United  States,  by  virtue  of  the  appropriations 
of  this  bill,  except  for  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall 
first  be  duly  convicted. 

This  was  the  famous  Wilmot  Proviso  ;  and  although 
it  may  not  seem  very  interesting  to  you,  my  children, 
I  hope  you  will  try  to  understand  it,  because  it  created 
a  great  excitement  all  over  the  country.  When  Mr. 
Lincoln  entered  Congress,  the  subject  was  still  under 
discussion,  and  he  was  so  much  in  favor  of  its  adop- 
tion that  he  voted  for  it  forty-two  times.  The  meas- 
ure never  became  a  law,  because  both  Houses  of 
Congress  could  not  agree ;   but  it  roused  all  over  the 


Mr.  Liucobis   Views.  69 


United    States    a    feeling   which    had    never    existed 
before. 

Previous  to  this  many  persons  who  were  opposed 
to  slavery  had  feared  the  slaveholding  States  would 
become  more  powerful  than  the  free  States,  and 
that  slavery  would  yet  spread  all  over  the  Union. 
These  persons  were  much  disappointed  with  the  result 
of  the  VVilmot  Proviso,  and  some  of  them  began  to 
be  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  having  slavery  intro- 
duced into  the  Territories.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of 
these  persons ;  and  this  was  why  he  voted  so  many 
times  in  favor  of  the  Wilmot  amendment. 

Another  question  before  Congress  at  this  time  was 
whether  slavery  should  be  abolished  in  the  District 
of  Columbia.  Mr.  Lincoln  believed  that  Congress 
possessed  the  power  to  do  this,  and  he  voted  in  favor 
of  it;  but  he  desired  that  masters  should  be  paid  for 
their  slaves  out  of  the  United  States  Treasury.  But 
the  majority  of  Congressmen  at  that  time  were  very 
much  opposed  to  holding  any  discussion  on  the 
subject  of  slavery,  and  so  nothing  was  accomplished 
in  regard  to  freeing  any  of  the  slaves. 

Mr.  Lincoln  also  voted  to  appropriate  money  for 

the   improvement  of  rivers  and   harbors,  and  to  sell 

the  public  lands  at  a  very  low  rate  to  the  people  who 

occupied  and  cultivated  them.     He  was  also  in  favor 

*  of  a  protective  tariff. 


70      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


Now,  children,  I  suppose  I  must  tell  you  what  a 
tariff  is,  or  you  will  not  know  what  Mr.  Lincoln  voted 
for. 

From  time  to  time  the  Government  has  passed 
laws  that  certain  sums  of  money  shall  be  paid  on 
certain  kinds  of  goods  brought  into  the  United 
States.  These  sums  of  money  are  called  duties,  and 
are  paid  into  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  for 
the  support  of  the  Government.  The  tariff  is  a  list 
of  the  goods  on  which  the  duties  are  to  be  paid,  and 
also  of  the  duties  themselves.  Mr.  Lincoln  thought 
these  duties  should  be  so  regulated  that  an  article 
made  in  a  foreign  country  could  not  be  brought  to 
this  country  and  sold  at  a  lower  price  than  the  same 
article  could  be  sold  at  if  made  here.  He  believed 
that  unless  this  were  done  our  own  manufacturers 
would  be  injured,  because  everybody  would  buy  for- 
eign articles  instead  of  our  own. 

This  is  called  the  protective  tariff,  because  it  pro- 
tects our  own  manufacture,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  voted 
for  it  to  encourage  industry  and  promote  the  well- 
being  of  our  own  country. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


General  Taylor  elected  President.  —  Lincoln  practises  his 
Profession.  —  Takes  the  Political  Field  in  1854.  —  Repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise.  —  Judge  Trumbull  elected 
Senator. 

N  the  first  day  of  June, 
1848,  the  Whig  party  held 
a  national  convention  at 
Philadelphia  to  nominate 
their  candidate  for  the 
next  Presidency,  for  the 
time  had  come  for  a  new 
Presidential  campaign. 
The  Whigs  of  Illinois  sent 
Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  delegate 
to  this  Convention.  After  much  discussion  the  Con- 
vention nominated  Gen.  Zachary  Taylor;  and  Mr. 
Lincoln,  upon  his  return  home,  made  many  speeches 
in  praise  of  General  Taylor,  who,  you  will  remem- 
ber, was  in  the  Mexican  War.  General  Taylor  was 
elected  President,  and  was  inaugurated  on  Monday, 
March  5  (the  4th  coming  on  Sunday),  1849. 


72      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  same  year  the  Whig  portion  of  the  Legislature 
of  IlHiiois  desired  to  send  Mr.  Lincoln  as  their  Sena- 
tor to  Washington ;  but  as  there  were  more  Demo- 
crats than  Whigs  in  the  Legislature,  he  was  not  chosen. 
General  Shields,  the  Democratic  candidate,  was  sent 
instead.  During  the  next  five  years,  which  was  a 
period  of  great  excitement,  Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  take 
an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  nation ;  but  you 
may  be  sure  he  was  none  the  less  interested,  and 
knew  all  about  the  doings  of  Congress  as  much  as  if 
he  were  there.  He  practised  his  profession  of  law 
quietly  at  his  home  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  until  the 
year  1854. 

Franklin  Pierce  was  now  President,  having  been 
inaugurated  March  4,  1853. 

Some  time  during  the  following  January  Stephen 
A.  Douglas,  who  was  chairman  of  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  Territories,  introduced  a  very  extraordinary 
bill  in  Congress,  which  set  the  country  half  crazy 
with  excitement.  This  bill  proposed  that  two  Terri- 
tories, to  be  called  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  should  be 
organized  west  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  north  of 
the  parallel  of  36°  30'  north  latitude,  and  that  slavery 
should  be  admitted  into  these  Territories.  Now  the 
cause  of  the  excitement  was  this  :  — 

As  long  ago  as  when  Mr.  Monroe  was  President, 
slavery  was  the  cause  of  a  great  deal  of  contention 


LINCOLN'S  FIRST  LESSON  IN  LAW.     (See  page  54.) 


Repeal  of  the  Missoitri  Comprojiiise.  75 

and  dispute.  At  that  time  Missouri  wanted  to  enter 
the  Union  as  a  slave  State.  The  Senate  said  yes, 
but  the  House  of  Representatives  would  not  con- 
sent unless  she  prohibited  slavery.  Speeches  upon 
speeches  were  made,  and  vote  after  vote  was  taken  in 
both  houses,  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  they  could 
come  to  any  agreement.  At  length  it  was  decided 
to  admit  Missouri  as  a  slave  State,  with  the  provision 
that  in  all  the  remaining  Territories  of  the  United 
States  north  of  latitude  36°  30'  slavery  should  be  for- 
ever prohibited.  This  was  called  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise, and  it  came  to  be  regarded  as  sacred  as  the 
Constitution  itself. 

So,  when  Mr.  Douglas  proposed  to  repeal  and  set 
aside  what  nobody  before  had  ever  thought  of  med- 
dling with,  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  most  astonishing 
and  daring  measure.  There  was  a  tremendous  debate 
in  Congress  over  this  bill.  But  Mr.  Douglas  worked 
away,  until  at  last  he  carried  his  point,  and  the  bill 
became  a  law. 

Thus  the  famous  Missouri  Compromise  was  re- 
pealed. Almost  all  the  Northern  people  now  began 
to  feel  as  if  matters  were  coming  to  a  serious  crisis, 
and  that  some  determined  movement  must  be  made 
to  check  the  extension  of  slavery. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  indignant  at  the  passage  of 
this  bill,  and  thought  it  was  time  to  give  his  attention 


^6       The  Children'' s  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

again  to  political  matters.  Illinois  was  to  send  a  new 
Senator  to  Congress  in  place  of  General  Shields, 
whose  six  /ears  were  up.  You  will  recall,  chil- 
dren, that  the  Legislature  of  each  State  chooses  the 
United  States  Senators. 

Now,  the  Legislature  which  was  to  choose  the  new 
Senator  from  Illinois  had  not  yet  been  elected.  So 
Mr,  Lincoln  begged  the  people  of  his  State  to  choose 
such  a  Legislature  as  would  send  a  Senator  to  Con- 
gress who  would  frown  upon  Mr.  Douglas's  meas- 
ures. Mr.  Douglas,  on  the  other  hand,  told  the 
people  that  his  measures  were  all  right,  and  that 
Congress  had  no  power  to  make  a  law  that  slavery 
should  not  exist  in  a  certain  portion  of  the  United 
States.  Thus  the  people  listened  to  Mn  Lincoln  one 
day,  and  to  Mr.  Douglas  another  day. 

The  outcome  was  the  election  of  Judge  Trumbull 
for  Senator,  a  man  much  opposed  to  Mr.  Douglas's 
bill.  A  great  part  of  the  Legislature  would  have 
preferred  Mr.  Lincoln  to  anybody  else;  but  Mr.  Lin- 
coln himself  thought  it  would  be  better  to  send  Judge 
Trumbull,  and  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the 
Judge  was  nominated.  After  this,  the  people  of 
Illinois  wanted  to  choose  Mr.  Lincoln  as  Governor  of 
the  State ;   but  he  did  not  wish  to  be  nominated. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  Republican  Party.  —  The  Presidential  Campaign  of  1856. 
—  Buchanan's  Election.  —  Kansas.  —  The  Dred  Scott 
Decision. 

OU  will  recollect,  children, 
how  I  told  you  a  little  while 
ago  that  the  great  pohtical 
parties  of  the  United  States 
have  at  different  times  been 
called  by  different  names. 
When  Mr.  Lincoln  entered 
public  life,  they  were  known 
as  Whigs  and  Democrats. 
They  had  borne  these  names 
many  years. 
But  as  the  portion  of  the  people  who  were  in  favor 
of  slavery  grew  bolder  and  bolder  in  their  efforts  to 
extend  it,  nearly  all  the  Whig  party  and  some  of  the 
Democrats  thought  they  would  unite  and  form  them- 
selves into  a  new  party,  and  come  out  openly  and  say 
that  they  would  not  vote  for  any  measures  which 
would  help  to  extend  slavery.     They  did  not  wish  to 


^S       The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

meddle  with  any  of  the  States  which  were  already 
slave  States,  but  determined  to  do  all  they  could  to 
prevent  any  more  slave  States  from  being  formed. 
This  new  party  styled  itself  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  been  called  by  that  name  ever  since.  Mr. 
Lincoln  joined  the  Republicans. 

In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1856  the  Republi- 
cans held  their  national  convention  at  Philadelphia, 
and  on  the  17th  of  June  nominated  as  their  candidate 
for  President,  John  C.  Fremont,  and  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent, William  L.  Dayton.  Mr.  Lincoln  also  received 
a  good  many  votes  for  Vice-President,  but  not  so 
many  as  Mr.  Dayton.  But  the  Republicans  of  Illinois 
chose  Mr.  Lincoln  for  Presidential  Elector,  and  he 
tried  very  hard  to  secure  Mr.  Fremont's  election. 

The  Democrats  also  held  their  convention  in  June, 
in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  and  nominated  James  Bu- 
chanan for  President,  and  John  C  Breckinridge  for 
Vice-President.  The  political  contest  this  year  was 
most  exciting.  The  Republicans  struggled  very  hard 
to  elect  their  candidate  ;  but  their  party  was  new,  and 
had  not  yet  become  so  strong  as  the  Democratic 
party.  So  the  Democrats  prevailed  ;  and  James 
Buchanan  was  chosen  President,  and  was  inaugurated 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1857.  -^^  this  time  there  was 
great  excitement  all  over  the  Union  about  the 
Territory  of  Kansas. 


The  Settlement  of  Kansas.  79 

You  will  remember  that  Mr.  Douglas  introduced 
his  bill  for  the  admission  of  slavery  into  this  Terri- 
tory in  the  month  of  January,  1854;  but  it  did  not 
become  a  law  until  the  following  May.  About  a 
month  before  the  passage  by  Congress  of  this  extra- 
ordinary measure,  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts 
had  formed  a  society  called  the  Emigrants'  Aid 
Company,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  poor  persons 
who  desired  to  remove  to  Kansas.  Soon  after,  the 
Legislature  of  Connecticut  organized  a  similar  com- 
pany, and  quite  an  excitement  was  kindled  in  the 
Northern  States  about  going  to  Kansas.  Many  peo- 
ple went  because  they  could  go  at  so  cheap  a  rate. 

Previous  to  this,  some  people  had  gone  there  from 
the  Western  States,  and  a  few  from  the  slave  States, 
A  party  of  thirty  men  founded  the  town  of  Law- 
rence. About  this  time  settlers  from  Missouri  began 
to  come  in,  bringing  their  slaves  with  them.  This 
they  had  a  right  to  do  by  the  new  law  which  had 
just  been  passed;  but  the  settlers  from  the  free 
States  did  not  like  it  at  all,  and  notwithstanding 
the  law,  determined  to  exclude  slavery  from  Kansas. 
They  could  not  do  this  while  Kansas  remained  a 
Territory,  but  they  resolved  that  whenever  it  became 
a  State  it  should  be  a  free  State. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Missouri  settlers  meant  to 
make  it  a  slave  State.     In  the  month  of  July,  in  this 


8o       The  CJiildrcji  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

same  year,  a  body  of  public  men  in  Missouri  had 
openly  declared  that  in  order  to  do  this  they  were 
ready  to  help  remove  all  citizens  from  Kansas  who 
went  there  under  the  auspices  of  Northern  Emigrant 
Aid  Societies.  About  this  time  President  Pierce  ap- 
pointed Andrew  H.  Reeder  of  Pennsylvania  Governor 
of  Kansas.  Mr.  Reeder  arrived  in  Kansas  on  the  6th 
of  October. 

The  President  appoints  the  Governors  of  the  Terri- 
tories, but  the  people  have  a  right  to  form  a  Terri- 
torial Legislature  and  send  one  man  to  Congress, 
though  he  is  neither  a  Senator  nor  a  Representative. 
He  is  called  a  Delegate,  and  can  go  and  talk  about 
his  Territory  as  much  as  he  pleases,  but  is  not  allowed 
to  vote. 

The  next  month  after  the  arrival  of  Governor 
Reeder,  while  the  people  of  Kansas  were  assembled 
to  elect  a  Territorial  Delegate  to  Congress,  a  body  of 
ruffians  from  Missouri  marched  in  and  took  posses- 
sion of  all  the  votes.  A  few  months  after  this  the 
people  attempted  to  elect  a  Territorial  Legislature, 
but  were  treated  in  the  same  manner  as  before. 
Governor  Reeder  tried  to  put  a  stop  to  such  dis- 
graceful proceedings,  and  he  went  to  Washington 
and  told  the  President  about  it ;  but  all  he  got  for  his 
trouble  was  his  removal  from  office. 

As    soon    as   Governor  Reeder    was    removed   the 


TJic  StriicrHe  in  Kansas.  8 1 


"<b^> 


people  in  Kansas  who  were  in  favor  of  slavery  be- 
haved worse  than  ever.  They  took  their  seats  in  the 
Legislature,  and  passed  laws  to  imprison  everybody 
who  should  help  a  slave  to  escape,  or  should  say  that 
it  was  wrong  to  hold  slaves.  Worse  laws  even  than 
these  were  passed.  Mr.  Shannon  of  Ohio  was  the 
next  Governor.  Soon  after  his  appointment  the 
free-State  men  made  another  effort  to  secure  their 
rights.  They  held  a  convention  and  said  they  would 
not  obey  such  laws  as  the  slavery  Legislature  had 
made,  and  they  chose  ex-Governor  Reeder  as  their 
Delegate  to  Congress.  They  also  decided  to  form 
a  State  Constitution  and  prohibit  slavery. 

A  convention  met  for  this  purpose  at  a  town  called 
Topeka.  By  this  time  the  slavery  party  was  very 
much  enraged,  and  the  people  began  to  fight.  Sev- 
eral persons  were  killed  on  both  sides.  The  inhab- 
itants of  Lawrence  began  to  arm  themselves  in 
self-defence,  and  the  Governor  called  out  the  militia. 

Upon  this  the  Missourian  ruffians  said  they  were 
the  Kansas  militia,  and  for  several  days  Lawrence 
was  besieged ;  but  finally  matters  were  quieted  for 
a  little  while,  and  the  Missourians  went  home.  Soon, 
however,  Lawrence  was  again  threatened,  and  made 
resistance,  but  as  the  sheriff  promised  safety  and 
protection  to  the  citizens,  they  delivered  up  their 
arms.     They  had  no  sooner  done  this,  however,  than 

6 


82      The  Childreji's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

the  besiegers  entered  the  town,  burned  the  house  of 
Mr.  Robinson,  —  one  of  the  founders  of  Lawrence, 
—  blew  up  the  hotel,  destroyed  the  printing-presses, 
and  went  about  making  general  havoc.  The  free- 
State  party  now  declared  war  against  the  slavery 
faction.  There  were  several  fights,  and  many  per- 
sons were  killed. 

Matters  continued  pretty  much  in  this  condition 
until  Jan.  6,  1857;  but  Governor  Shannon  had  been 
removed  for  favoring  the  free-State  men,  and  Mr. 
Geary  of  Pennsylvania  now  held  the  office.  At  this 
time  the  free-State  Legislature,  elected  under  the 
Topeka  Constitution,  met  at  that  place  ;  but  the  lead- 
ing members  were  immediately  arrested  by  the  United 
States  marshals.  Directly  after  this  the  slavery  party- 
met  at  Lecompton,  and  passed  an  act  to  have  a  con- 
vention called  which  should  form  a  constitution  for 
the  State  of  Kansas.  This  slavery  party  styled  itself 
the  Territorial  Legislature.  In  this  act  the  members 
were  encouraged  by  President  Pierce,  who  said  that 
the  formation  of  the  free- State  Government  was  an 
act  of  rebellion.  Governor  Geary  now  became  so 
disgusted  with  the  situation  that  he  resigned ;  and 
Mr.  Walker  of  Mississippi  succeeded  him.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  Mr,  Buchanan  was  inaugurated 
President. 

When  Governor  Walker  had  been  in  office  some 


The  Supreme  Court  and  Slavery.  83 


months,  the  convention  met  at  Lecompton  and  formed 
their  famous  Constitution,  four  sections  of  which  re- 
lated to  slavery.  The  people  were  informed  that  they 
could  vote  for  the  Constitution  with  slavery,  or  for 
the  Constitution  without  slavery,  but  in  any  case  they 
must  vote  for  the  Constitution. 

These  proceedings  created  a  tremendous  excite- 
ment in  Kansas,  and  the  free-State  party  declared 
they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Constitution. 
Governor  Walker  was  as  much  displeased  with  it  as 
the  people  were,  and  went  to  Washington  to  beg  Con- 
gress not  to  adopt  it ;  but  before  he  arrived  President 
Buchanan  had  sanctioned  it,  and  so  Governor  Walker 
resigned.  The  struggle  between  the  free-State  men 
and  the  slavery  party  was  now  at  its  height  in  Kansas. 

We  must  now  turn  aside  a  little  from  our  present 
subject,  in  order  that  you  may  understand  something 
which  I  am  about  to  relate.  You  will  remember  that 
I  told  you  the  government  consists  of  three  branches. 
You  already  understand  about  two  of  them,  the  legis- 
lative and  the  executive  ;  and  now  the  time  has  come 
when  we  must  speak  of  the  third  branch,  —  the 
judicial  department  of  government. 

This  branch  comprises,  besides  inferior  courts,  a 
Supreme  Court  with  one  chief-justice  and  eight  asso- 
ciate justices,   who   are   appointed   by  the    President 


84      TJie  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

for  life.  Roger  Btooke  Taney  was  Chief-Justice  at 
this  time;  and  a  decision  of  his  in  the  Supreme  Court 
shook  the  country  to  its  very  centre.  It  was  called 
the  Dred  Scott  Decision. 

This  Dred  Scott  was  a  negro  slave  owned  by  a  man 
in  Missouri.  The  master  removed  him  to  Illinois,  a 
free  State;  and  therefore  the  slave  thought  that  this 
made  him.  free.  But  the  Chief-Justice  decided  that 
he  had  lost  whatever  claim  to  freedom  he  had  gained 
by  living  in  Illinois,  because  after  having  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  he  finally  returned  to  Missouri.  One  of 
the  reasons  he  gave  for  this  decision  was  that  the 
negro  had  no  rights  which  the  white  man  was  bound 
to  respect,  and  another  was  that  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise, which  prohibited  slavery  in  the  Territories 
north  of  36°  30',  was  unconstitutional. 

When  this  decision  was  announced,  the  slavery 
party  in  Kansas  thought  their  victory  was  certain; 
but  the  free-State  men,  in  spite  of  the  decision, 
determined  not  to  yield. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  soul  was  on  fire  for  freedom ;  he  was 
shocked  at  the  Dred  Scott  Decision,,  and  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  people  in  Kansas.  He  expected  the  next 
decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  would  be  that  the 
Constitution  permitted  slavery  in  all  the  States,  as  well 
as  in  the  Territories  ;  then  there  would  be  no  freedom 
anywhere  for   the   slave.     Therefore   he   thought   all 


A  SJiort- Sighted  President.  85 

lovers  of  freedom  ought  to  express  the  most  intense 
disapprobation  of  the  Dred  Scott  Decision.  It  was 
in  the  November  following  this  decision  that  the  sla- 
very party  in  Kansas  had  adopted  the  infamous  Le- 
compton  Constitution. 

Congress  assembled  soon  after,  when  President 
Buchanan  stated  his  opinion  on  the  subject.  He  said 
everybody  must  see  that  in  the  end  Kansas  would  be 
free,  and  he  thought  the  best  way  to  settle  the  dispute 
would  be  to  admit  her  with  the  Lecompton  Constitu- 
tion ;  then  the  South  would  have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain, and  if  the  State  were  free,  the  North  ought  not 
to  grumble  about  the  Constitution. 

But  the  free-State  people  in  Kansas  thought  that 
this  was  only  an  ingenious  dodge  to  fasten  slavery 
upon  them,  and  that  if  they  adopted  the  Lecompton 
Constitution  the  game  would  be  up,  and  there  would 
be  no  more  freedom  for  them. 

The  worst  part  of  the  matter  was  that  the  people 
were  not  allowed  to  read  the  Constitution,  and  so  did 
not  know  what  they  were  required  to  vote  for. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Speeches  of  Lincoln  and  Douglas.  —  Lincoln  visits  Kansas, 
Ohio,  and  New  York.  — Speech  at  Cooper  Institute.  —  At 
Five  Points. 


HE  time  had  now  ar- 
rived for  the  Legis- 
lature of  Illinois  to 
choose  a  new  Senator. 
Mr.  Douglas's  term  had 
nearly  expired.  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Dousr- 
las  were  the  leading- 
men  of  their  respective 
parties  in  Illinois,  and 
it  was  probable  that  one  of  them  would  be  chosen. 

Their  views  were  as  opposite  as  light  and  darkness. 
Mr.  Lincoln  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery.  He 
was  shocked  at  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compro- 
mise and  the  consequent  oppression  of  the  people  in 
Kansas,  and  was  indignant  at  the  Dred  Scott  De- 
cision.    Mr.  Douglas,   on  the    other   hand,   was  the 


The  Lincoln-Douglas  Debates.  87 

author  of  the  bill  repealing  the  Missouri  Compro- 
mise, and  approved  of  the  Dred  Scott  Decision ; 
but  he  did  not  think  it  was  right  that  the  Lecompton 
Constitution  should  be  forced  upon  the  citizens  of 
Kansas.  He  said  he  did  not  care  whether  slavery 
was  voted  down  or  up,  but  he  thought  the  people 
had  a  right  to  vote  against  the  Constitution  if  they 
chose.  In  this  expression  of  his  opinion  he  offended 
President  Buchanan  and  others  favoring  slavery. 

Mr.  Douglas  went  home  to  Illinois  before  the  time 
came  to  elect  the  new  Senator;  and  he  and  Mr.  Lin- 
coln went  all  over  the  State,  making  speeches  in  sup- 
port of  their  favorite  views.  Mr.  Douglas  would 
make  a  speech,  and  then  Mr.  Lincoln  would  answer 
him.  They  each  made  a  great  many  speeches,  but 
there  were  seven  that  were  called  joint  debates. 
These  were  held  at  seven  different  towns  in  seven 
different  parts  of  the  State,  from  the  extreme  north  to 
the  extreme  south.  These  debates  created  the  great- 
est enthusiasm.  Each  party  turned  out  to  do  honor 
to  its  own  man.  There  were  gay  cavalcades,  ringing 
of  bells,  firing  of  guns,  bands  of  music,  big  proces- 
sions, and  a  great  time  generally. 

In  so  small  a  book  as  this  it  is  impossible  to  say 
much  about  the  speeches;  but  we  will  quote  a  few 
short  extracts  from  some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's,  because 
they  let   us   into  his  principles  and    character,   and 


88      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

show  us  that  his  convictions  were  substantially  the 
same  throughout  his  pubhc  hfe.  Some  persons  have 
accused  him  of  being  vacillating  and  weak,  but  we 
think  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  an  historical  per- 
sonage less  changeable  than  he.  In  the  beginning  of 
one  of  his  speeches  are  these  remarkable  words :  — 

"  '  A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand.'  I  believe 
this  government  cannot  enciure  permanently,  half  slave  and 
half  free.  I  do  not  expect  the  Union  to  be  dissolved,  I  do 
not  expect  the  house  to  fall ;  but  I  do  expect  it  will  cease 
to  be  divided.  It  will  become  all  one  thing  or  all  the 
other." 

You  will  observe,  children,  how  far-seeing  and 
sagacious  he  was.  These  words  sound  like  those  of 
a  prophet,  for  in  less  than  seven  years  from  the  time 
they  were  uttered,  this  country  had  become  all  one 
thing,  —  all  free,  — and  owing  in  a  very  great  degree, 
too,  to  the  skilful  administration  of  this  very  man. 

Mr.  Lincoln  thought  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise,  which  admitted  slavery  into  all  the  Ter- 
ritories, and  the  Dred  Scott  Decision,  and  the  forc- 
ing of  the  Lecompton  Constitution  upon  the  people 
of  Kansas,  were  all  parts  of  one  great  political  ma- 
chine, or  mill,  as  he  calls  it,  and  that  all  the  different 
framers  of  these  measures  understood  one  another  very 
well,  and   had  one  common  end  in  view.     So  in  the 


Mr.  Lincohis    Wise   Words.  89 


speech  from  which  we  have  just  quoted,  he  goes  on 
to  say :  — 

"  We  cannot  absolutely  know  that  all  these  exact  adapta- 
tions are  the  result  of  preconcert.  But  when  we  see  a  lot  of 
framed  timbers,  different  portions  of  which  we  know  have 
been  gotten  out  at  different  times  and  places  and  by  different 
workmen  (Stephen,  FrankUn,  Roger,  and  James,  for  in- 
stance), and  when  we  see  these  timbers  joined  together,  and 
see  they  exacdy  make  the  frame  of  a  house  or  a  mill,  —  all 
the  tenons  and  mortises  exactly  fitting,  and  all  the  lengths 
and  proportions  of  the  different  pieces  exacdy  adapted  to 
their  respective  places,  and  not  a  piece  too  many  or  too  few 
(not  omitting  even  scaffolding),  or  if  a  single  piece  be  lacking, 
we  see  the  place  in  the  frame  exactly  fitted  and  prepared  yet 
to  bring  such  piece  in,  —  in  such  a  case  we  find  it  impossi- 
ble not  to  believe  that  Stephen  and  Franklin  and  Roger 
and  James,  all  understood  one  another  from  the  beginning, 
and  all  worked  upon  a  common  plan,  or  draft,  drawn  up 
before  the  first  blow  was  struck." 

Mr.  Lincoln  thought  that  this  political  mill  had 
been  most  skilfully  built,  and  that  if  it  were  not 
torn  down,  it  would  grind  not  only  the  negro,  but 
the  whole  nation,  to  powder. 

In  another  speech,  referring  to  the  thirteen  original 
colonies,  he  said  :  — 

"These  communities,  by  their  representatives  in  old  Inde- 
pendence Hall,  said  to  the  world  of  men  :  '  We  hold  these 


go      The  Childrcjis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


truths  to  be  self-evident :  that  all  men  are  created  equal ;  that 
they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable 
rights ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness.'  This  was  their  lofty  and  wise  and  noble  under- 
standing of  the  justice  of  the  Creator  to  his  creatures  :  yes, 
gentlemen,  to  all  his  creatures,  —  to  the  whole  great  family 
of  man.  In  their  enlightened  belief,  nothing  stamped  with 
the  Divme  miage  and  likeness  was  sent  into  the  world  to  be 
trodden  on  and  degraded  and  imbruted  by  its  fellows.  They 
grasped  not  only  the  race  of  men  then  living,  but  they  reached 
forward  and  seized  upon  the  farthest  posterity.  They  created 
a  beacon  to  guide  their  children  and  their  children's  children, 
and  the  countless  myriads  who  should  inhabit  the  earth  in 
other  ages. 

"  Wise  statesmen  as  they  were,  they  knew  the  tendency  of 
prosperity  to  breed  tyrants;  and  so  they  established  these 
great  self-evident  truths,  that  when,  in  the  distant  future, 
some  man,  some  faction,  some  interest  should  set  up  the 
doctrine  that  none  but  rich  men,  or  none  but  white  men,  or 
none  but  Anglo-Saxon  white  men,  were  entitled  to  life,  Hberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  their  posterity  might  look  up 
again  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  take  courage 
to  renew  the  battle  which  their  fathers  began,  so  that  truth 
and  justice  and  mercy,  and  all  the  humane  and  Christian  vir- 
tues, might  not  be  extinguished  from  the  land ;  so  that  no 
man  would  hereafter  dare  to  limit  and  circumscribe  the  great 
principles  on  which  the  temple  of  Liberty  was  being  built. 

"  Now,  my  countrymen,  if  you  have  been  taught  doctrines 
conflicting  with  the  great  landmarks  of  the  Declaration  of 


The  Martyr  Spirit.  91 


Independence ;  if  you  have  listened  to  suggestions  which 
would  take  away  from  its  grandeur,  and  mutilate  the  fair 
symmetry  of  its  proportions  ;  if  you  have  been  inclined  to 
beheve  that  all  men  are  not  created  equal,  in  those  inalien- 
able rights  enumerated  by  our  chart  of  liberty,  — let  me  en- 
treat you  to  come  back.  Return  to  the  fountain  whose 
waters  spring  close  by  the  blood  of  the  Revolution. 

"  Think  nothing  of  me ;  take  no  thought  for  the  political 
fate  of  any  man  whomsoever ;  but  come  back  to  the  truths 
that  are  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  You  may  do 
anything  with  me  you  choose,  if  you  will  but  heed  these  sacred 
principles.  You  may  not  only  defeat  me  for  the  Senate,  but 
you  may  take  me  and  put  me  death.  While  pretending  no 
indifference  to  earthly  honors,  I  do  clahn  to  be  actuated  in 
this  contest  by  something  higher  than  an  anxiety  for  office. 
I  charge  you  to  drop  every  paltry  and  insignificant  thought 
for  any  man's  success.  It  is  nothing ;  I  am  nothing ; 
Judge  Douglas  is  nothing.  But  do  not  destroy  that  im- 
mortal emblem  of  humanity,  the  Declaration  of  American 
Independence." 

These  are  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  words.  How  nobly 
he  speaks !  Even  then  he  had  the  spirit  of  a  martyr. 
He  was  willing  to  be  put  to  death,  if  only  the  cause 
of  liberty  might  prevail.  And  you  know  that  at  last 
he  did  suffer  death  for  maintaining  at  every  cost  these 
very  principles  which  he  here  so  nobly  advocates. 
Glorious  martyr  !  Let  us  try  to  imitate  his  noble  and 
unselfish  spirit. 


92       The  Childrrn's  Life  of  AbraJiaju  Lincoln. 

The  excitement  during  all  this  political  contest  was 
tremendous,  not  only  in  Illinois,  but  all  over  the 
country.  All  lovers  of  freedom  ardently  wished  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  might  be  chosen  Senator,  for  they 
thought  the  nation  was  in  great  peril  and  needed 
such  men  in  Congress.  The  opposite  party  proved 
the  stronger,  however,  and  Mr.  Douglas  was  once 
more  elected  to  the  Senate. 

Between  the  close  of  this  senatorial  contest  and  the 
Presidential  campaign  of  i860,  Mr.  Lincoln  made 
several  visits  to  other  States.  He  went  to  Kansas, 
whose  people  received  him  with  the  greatest  enthu- 
siasm. They  hardly  knew  how  to  express  their  joy 
at  seeing  the  man  who  had  labored  so  hard  to  defend 
their  rights.  Mr.  Lincoln  also  addressed  the  people 
of  Ohio,  and  in  the  month  of  February  he  visited  New 
York,  and  made  a  speech  to  the  young  men  at  Cooper 
Institute. 

As  this  speech  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  pro- 
ductions of  the  great  man,  you  shall  have  a  few  of 
its  sentences  :  • — 

"  Wrong  as  we  think  slavery  is,  we  can  yet  afford  to  let  it 
alone  where  it  is,  because  that  much  is  due  to  the  necessity 
arising  from  its  actual  presence  in  the  nation ;  but  can  we, 
while  our  votes  will  prevent  it,  allow  it  to  spread  into  the 
national  Territories,  and  to  overrun  us  here  in  these  free 
States  ?     If  our  sense  of  duty  forbids  this,  then  let  us  stand 


Mr.  Lincohi  at  Five  Points  Mission.  95 

by  our  duty  fearlessly  and  effectively.  Neither  let  us  be 
slandered  from  our  duty  by  false  accusations  against  us,  nor 
frightened  from  it  by  menaces  of  destruction  to  the  govern- 
ment nor  of  dungeons  to  ourselves.  Let  us  have  faith  that 
right  makes  might ;  and  in  that  faith  let  us,  to  tlie  end,  dare 
to  do  our  duty  as  we  U7iderstand  it." 

Yes,  he  did  dare  to  do  his  duty  faithfully  and 
fearlessly  to  the  end.  He  was  never  frightened  by 
threats ;  neither  was  he  dismayed  nor  disheartened, 
even  when  he  was  most  thickly  beset  with  dangers. 
He  calmly  waited,  and  trusted  in  the  darkest  hours, 
with  that  sublime  faith  which  he  here  proclaims,  tJiat 
right  makes  might ;  and  when  the  nation's  future  was 
almost  hopeless,  he  said,  — 

"  I  still  hope  that  in  some  way,  which  man  cannot 
see,  all  will  be  well  in  the  end,  because  our  cause  is 
just,  and  God  is  on  our  side." 

In  this  beautiful  and  simple  trust  he  clung  to  God 
and  to  his  promises,  in  the  same  way  that  you,  chil- 
dren, confide  in  your  parents ;  and  God  did  not  dis- 
appoint him,  any  more  than  your  parents  disappoint 
you  when  they  have  made  you  a  promise. 

Mr.  Lincoln  loved  children,  and  when  he  was  in 
New  York  he  did  not  forget  them.  One  Sunday  he 
visited  the  school  at  the  Five  Points.  This  school  is 
composed  of  the  most  miserable  and  wretched  chil- 
dren of  New  York  City,  who  are  here  taught  how  to 


96      The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Liticoln. 


become  good  and  respectable.  Mr.  Lincoln  said 
kind  words  to  them ;  and  the  children  were  so  much 
interested  that  whenever  he  attempted  to  stop  they 
would  all  shout  out,  "  Oh,  go  on  !  do  go  on  !  "  No- 
body in  the  school  knew  who  he  was;  but  just  as  he 
was  leaving,  one  of  the  teachers  stepped  up  to  him 
and  begged  to  know  his  name.  He  simply  said  :  "  It 
is  Abraham  Lincoln,  from  Illinois." 

How  every  one  of  those  children  will  treasure  up 
what  he  said  to  them  on  that  day,  and  when  they 
grow  up  will  tell  their  children  that  on  a  certain  day 
the  great  Abraham  Lincoln  spoke  to  them  !  Nobody 
knew  then  how  great  he  was  to  become. 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  Presidential  Campaign  of    i860.  —  The  Repubhcan  Con- 
vention at  Chicago.  —  Lincohi  elected  President. 

NEW  presidential  campaign  was  approach- 
ing, and  people  began  to  talk  of  choosing 
Mr.  Lincoln  for  President.  The  Repub- 
Hcans  of  Illinois  held  a  convention  at 
Decatur;  and  all  at  once,  right  in  the  midst  of  the 
meeting,  a  gentleman,  who  had  been  a  Democrat  a 
great  many  years,  came  marching  in  with  two  old 
weather-stained  fence-rails,  all  trimmed  up  with  rib- 
bons and  flags,  and  with  a  banner  bearing  this 
inscription :  — 

"ABRAHAM    LINCOLN, 

The  Rail  Candidate  for  President  in  i860. 

Two  rails,  from  a  lot  of  3000,  made  in  1830,  by- 
John  Hanks  and  Abe  Lincoln,  whose 
father  was  the  first  pioneer 
of  Macon  County." 

Upon  this  the  meeting  raised  a  tremendous  shout, 

and  began  cheering  for  "  Lincoln,"  "  Abe  Lincoln, 

7 


98      TJie  CJiildrcns  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

the  rail-splitter,"  "  Honest  Old  Abe,"  and  called  upon 
him  to  make  his  appearance.  Mr.  Lincoln  arose, 
and  with  great  modesty  stated  that  he  had  helped  to 
split  some  rails  about  thirty  years  before,  when  some- 
body shouted  out,  "  These  are  some  of  the  rails." 
After  this  the  rails  were  in  such  demand  that  one 
would  suppose  the  poor  old  fence  must  have  been 
all  carried  away,  for  they  were  borne  in  processions 
all  over  the  Union. 

This  meeting  was  only  a  State  convention ;  but  the 
Republicans  held  their  national  convention,  to  nom- 
inate their  candidate  for  the  next  Presidency,  at 
Chicago,  on  the   i6th  of  May,  i860. 

The  people  of  that  city  had  erected  an  immense 
structure  for  the  occasion,  called  "  The  Wigwam." 
Delegates  from  all  the  States  assembled  here,  to  the 
number  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-five.  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  Mr.  Seward  were  the  two  prominent  candidates. 

On  the  first  ballot  —  that  is,  the  first  time  the  con- 
vention voted  —  Mr.  Seward  had  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  and  a  half  votes,  Mr.  Lincoln  one  hun- 
dred and  two,  and  the  rest  were  scattering,  —  that  is, 
divided  among  difTerent  persons.  Nobody  was  nomi- 
nated on  this  vote,  because  nobody  had  a  majority  of 
all  the  votes  ;  so  they  voted  again. 

On  the  second  ballot,  when  Vermont's  name  was 
called,  one  of  her  delegates  replied :   "  Vermont  casts 


Mr.  Lincoln  is  Nominated  for  President.       99 

her  ten  votes  for  the  young  giant  of  the  West,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln."  Mr.  Seward  had  on  this  ballot  one 
hundred  and  eighty-four  and  a  half,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
one  hundred  and  eighty-one  votes.  But  still  no  one 
had  enough  votes  to  be  nominated  ;  so  they  voted 
again. 

On  the  third  ballot  Mr.  Lincoln  had  two  hundred 
and  thirty-one  and  a  half  votes,  —  almost  enough  to 
nominate  him.  As  soon  as  this  was  known,  a  delegate 
from  Ohio  said  his  State  would  make  a  change,  and 
give  four  votes  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  This  decided  the 
contest,  and   Mr.  Lincoln  was  chosen. 

The  whole  convention  now  fairly  boiled  over  with 
the  wildest  excitement.  Cheer  after  cheer  was  eiven. 
and  returned  by  the  crowd  outside,  until  everybody 
was  too  hoarse  to  cheer  any  more.  As  soon  as  the 
meeting  became  calm  enough  for  a  speaker's  voice 
to  be  heard,  other  States  announced  their  wish  to 
change  their  votes  for  Lincoln,  until  at  length  the 
whole  convention  voted  for  him. 

This  all  happened  in  the  morning.  In  the  after- 
noon the  convention  met  again,  and  chose  Hannibal 
Hamlin  of  Maine  for  Vice-President.  Thus  the  Re- 
publican ticket  was  Lincoln  and  Hamlin. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  present  at  this  convention,  he 
was  at  his  home  in  Springfield ;  but  the  news  went 
flashing  over  the   wires.     He   was    in    a   newspaper 


100     The  Children  s  Life  of  Ahi'aJiavi  Lincoln. 

office,  conversing  with  some  friends,  when  a  boy 
came  running  in  with  a  note  for  ]\Ir.  Lincoln,  which 
informed  him  that  he  was  nominated  on  the  third 
ballot.  Mr.  Lincoln  took  the  news  very  quietly,  and 
put  the  note  in  his  pocket ;  but  his  friends  were  all 
shouting  in  the  most  excited  manner.  Pretty  soon 
Mr.  Lincoln  left  them,  saying,  "  There 's  a  little 
woman  down  at  our  house  would  like  to  know  this, 
and  I  '11  go  down  and  tell  her."  This  was  his  wife. 
When  men  are  very  glad  or  very  sorry,  they  always 
want  to  go  home  and  tell  their  families  all  about  it. 

The  Republicans  all  over  the  Union  w^ere  very 
thankful  that  the  convention  had  nominated  Mr.  Lin- 
coln ;  for  they  knew  he  was  a  man  of  firm  principles, 
with  a  most  intense  love  for  freedom.  They  knew, 
too,  that  he  was  entirely  truthful  and  honest,  and 
they  were  not  afraid  to  trust  the  destiny  of  the  na- 
tion in  his  hands.  It  was  time  that  an  honest  cap- 
tain took  command  of  the  ship  of  State ;  for  Mr. 
Buchanan  had  proved  untrue  to  the  high  trusts 
reposed  in  him,  and  the  poor  old  ship  was  toiling 
among  breakers,  and  it  looked  very  much  as  if  she 
would  be  dashed  against  the  rocks.  Although  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  elected  on  the  6th  of  November,  you 
know  that  he  would  not  become  President  until  the 
following  4th  of  March. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Commencement  of  Secession  Movement.  —  General  Scott's 
Anxiety.  —  Defection  of  Buchanan  and  his  Cabinet.  — 
Anderson's  Removal  to  Fort  Sumter.  —  South  Carolina 
secedes.  —  Secret  Meeting  of  Jefferson  Davis  and  other 
Traitors.  —  Other  States  secede.  —  Their  Congressmen 
resign  their  Seats  at  Washington.  —  Convention  of  Seceded 
States  at  Montgomery.  —  Jefferson  Davis  is  chosen  Presi- 
dent, Alexander  H.  Stephens  Vice-President.  —  The  Con- 
federacy prepares  for  War.  —  Congress  tries  to  conciliate. 


E  must  now  learn  when  and  how  this  dan- 
ger came,  which  threatened  to  engulf  the 
ship  of  State,  and  also  what  Mr.  Buchanan 
did  during  the  remaining  months  of  his 
term  of  office. 

The  Southern  people  had  for  a  long  time  been 
making  all  sorts  of  attempts  to  strengthen  and  extend 
slavery,  and  when  they  found  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had 
been  elected  President  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
land,  they  were  very  much  provoked,  and  declared 
he  should  never  be  their  President.  All  the  Southern 
people  did  not  feel  in  this  way;  but  those  who  did 
resolved  to  make  the  rest  think  as  they  thought,  or,  at 
any  rate,  act  with  them. 


I02      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

For  this  purpose  a  few  wicked  men  tried  to  excite 
the  Southern  people,  by  telling  them  that  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  a  very  bad  man  and  a  great  tyrant,  who 
would  rob  them  of  their  slaves  and  all  their  lawful 
rights  under  the  Constitution  ;  and  urged  them  not  to 
submit  to  his  rule,  but  to  come  out  and  have  a  sepa- 
rate government  of  their  own. 

Just  before  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  Novem- 
ber, General  Scott,  who  had  been  watching  public 
matters  very  carefully,  wrote  a  letter  to  President 
Buchanan,  and  his  Secretary  of  War,  Mr.  Floyd,  say- 
ing he  was  fearful  that  preparations  were  going  on 
at  the  South  to  seize  the  United  States  forts  in  the 
Southern  harbors  ;  he  therefore  suggested  that  garri- 
sons of  soldiers  be  placed  in  the  forts  to  protect 
them.  Mr.  Buchanan  did  not  pay  any  attention  to 
the  letter,  and  Mr.  Floyd  declared  that,  for  his  part, 
he  should  not  permit  anything  of  the  kind  to  be  done. 
This  Mr.  Floyd  had  a  great  deal  of  power  in  his 
hands,  because  he  was  one  of  the  President's  Cabinet. 

This  Cabinet  is  composed  of  several  gentlemen 
whom  the  President  chooses  for  his  particular  ad- 
visers; and  they  are  called  the  Secretaries  of  State, 
of  the  Treasury,  of  the  Interior,  of  the  Navy,  of  War, 
of  Agriculture,  the  Attorney-General,  and  the  Post- 
master-General. The  President  and  his  Cabinet  are 
called  the  administration,  because  they  administer  or 


Treason !  lo- 


execute  the  laws.  Congress  makes  the  laws,  and 
these  gentlemen  execute  them.  The  President  can 
choose  those  whom  he  wishes  to  form  his  Cabinet; 
but  the  Senate  are  at  liberty  to  reject  any  one  who 
has  been  chosen,  and  no  one  can  become  a  member 
of  the  Cabinet  until  his  appointment  has  been  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate. 

Well,  as  we  were  saying,  this  Mr.  Floyd,  being  Sec- 
retary of  War  in  Mr.  Buchanan's  Cabinet,  had  a  great 
deal  of  power  in  his  hands,  and  used  it  all  to  favor 
the  South.  He  foresaw  that  trouble  was  at  hand,  and 
meant  to  do  his  utmost  to  cripple  the  North  and  help 
the  South.  So  he  absolutely  refused  to  allow  any 
garrisons  to  be  placed  in  the  Southern  forts.  The 
national  army  was  very  small  at  this  time,  consisting 
of  only  about  sixteen  thousand  men,  and  Mr.  Floyd 
had  scattered  them  to  the  most  remote  corners  of  the 
Union;  he  had  also  shipped  large  quantities  of  arms 
and  ammunition  to  the  South. 

When  our  Congress  met  at  Washington,  on  the  3d 
of  December,  the  country  was  in  a  terrible  condition. 
South  Carolina  was  behaving  very  badly,  and  it  was 
the  prevailing  opinion  that  she  would  soon  attempt 
to  secede  from  the  Union. 

President  Buchanan  seems  to  have  been  entirely  at 
a  loss  what  to  do.  At  all  events,  he  did  next  to 
nothing.     In  his  message  to  Congress  he  said  he  did 


I04     TJie  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

not  think  any  State  had  any  right  to  secede  from  the 
Union ;  but  if  she  chose  to  secede,  he  did  not  think 
Congress  had  any  right  to  make  war  upon  her  to  pre- 
vent her  from  seceding.  He  said  the  North  had  made 
such  a  noise  about  slavery  that  many  of  the  slaves  had 
become  very  discontented,  and  the  South  were  afraid 
of  insurrection  among  them,  and  that  was  why  they 
were  making  preparations  for  war;  and  he  thought  it 
proper  that  these  preparations  should  be  made.  He 
wanted  all  the  States  to  behave  well,  but  said  he  had 
no  right  to  coerce  a  State ;  and  he  advised  that  the 
Constitution  should  be  amended  so  as  to  say  that  the 
slaves  were  property,  and  that  this  property  must  be 
protected  in  all  the  Territories  of  the  United  States. 
He  thought  some  such  measures  would  restore  peace 
and  harmony. 

At  this  time  Major  Anderson,  with  a  handful  of 
men,  commanded  Fort  Moultrie,  in  Charleston  Har- 
bor. The  loyal  persons  at  Washington  felt  very 
uneasy  about  this  fort,  and  thought  it  ought  to  be 
reinforced.  Mr.  Cass,  Mr.  Buchanan's  Secretary  of 
State,  said  the  forts  of  Charleston  Harbor  must  be 
reinforced,  and  Mr.  Floyd  said  they  must  not.  The 
President  listened  to  his  Secretary  of  War,  instead  of 
to  his  Secretary  of  State ;  and  so  Mr.  Cass  would 
not  stay  in  his  Cabinet,  but  resigned  on  the  14th  of 
December. 


Secession  of  SoutJi  Carolina.  105 

On  the  20th  of  December  the  State  of  South  Caro- 
lina passed  an  ordinance  of  secession,  and  declared 
that  the  union  which  had  subsisted  between  herself 
and  the  other  States,  under  the  name  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  was  dissolved  ;  four  days  later  the 
Governor  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  State 
of  South  Carolina  to  be  "a  separate,  sovereign,  free, 
and  independent  State,"  —  which  meant  that  forever 
after  she  intended  to  do  just  as  she  pleased.  Now, 
when  children,  or  grown-up  people,  or  even  States, 
won't  obey  those  who  have  the  right  to  command, 
they  never  come  out  very  well  in  the  end.  By  and 
by  we  shall  see  how  South  Carolina  came  out. 

Major  Anderson  now  began  to  think  that  his  situa- 
tion at  Fort  Moultrie  was  very  unsafe ;  and  as  he  did 
not  see  any  prospect  of  being  aided  by  the  Govern- 
ment, he  decided,  on  his  own  responsibility,  to  re- 
move with  his  little  garrison  of  about  seventy  soldiers 
and  forty  workmen  to  the  stronger  position  of  Fort 
Sumter,  about  two  miles  distant.  His  movement 
was  planned  with  the  greatest  secrecy,  and  safely 
accomplished  in  the  dead  of  the  night  on  the  26th  of 
December. 

The  South  Carolinians  were  greatly  enraged,  and 
accused  President  Buchanan  of  breaking  his  pledge 
to  them.  But  the  President  assured  them  they  were 
mistaken ;   that  Major  Anderson  went  entirely  of  his 


io6     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


own  accord ;  and  that  when  he  had  first  heard  of  it, 
he  had  thought  of  ordering  the  Major  back  to  Fort 
Moultrie;  but  as  the  South  CaroHnians  had  already 
taken  possession  of  that  fort,  it  was  impossible  for 
him  to  send  the  Major  there.  But  Mr.  Floyd  insisted 
that  the  President  had  broken  his  pledge  that  no 
change  should  be  made  in  any  of  the  forts ;  and  so 
Mr.  Floyd  said  he  should  not  stay  in  the  Cabinet  any 
longer,  and  three  days  after  Anderson's  removal  to 
Fort  Sumter  he  resigned. 

Directly  after  Mr.  Floyd  resigned,  it  was  found  that 
he  was  a  great  thief,  and  had  helped  himself  to  eight 
hundred  and  sevent}'  thousand  dollars  of  the  public 
funds.  About  this  time  South  Carolina  sent  three 
commissioners  to  President  Buchanan,  asking  him  to 
deliver  up  the  forts  and  all  other  government  property 
in  Charleston  to  them.  The  President  did  not  tell 
them  that  they  might  have  the  forts  ;  but  he  did  noth- 
ing to  prevent  their  helping  themselves  to  whatever 
they  wanted. 

On  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  January,  a  secret 
meeting  was  held  at  Washington,  composed  of  Sen- 
ators from  Georgia,  Alabama,  Louisiana,  Arkansas, 
Texas,  Mississippi,  and  Florida.  They  said  that  all 
the  Southern  States  must  follow  the  example  of  South 
Carolina  and  secede  as  soon  as  possible,  and  decided 
that  a  convention  of  all  these   States  should   meet. 


TJie  Plot   Thickcjis.  107 

sometime  in  February,  at  Montgomery,  Alabama. 
But  they  advised  that  all  the  members  of  Congress 
from  the  Southern  States  should  keep  their  seats  at 
Washington  as  long  as  they  could,  to  see  how  matters 
went  on  there,  and  to  upset  any  measures  which  might 
be  proposed  to  their  disadvantage.  Jefferson  Davis, 
Mr.  Slidell,  and  Mr.  Mallory  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  see  that  these  things  were  done. 

Four  days  after  this  meeting  Mississippi  seceded. 
Two  days  later  Alabama  followed  her  example. 
Florida  took  the  same  step  on  the  loth,  Georgia 
passed  an  ordinance  of  secession  on  the  19th,  Lou- 
isiana took  her  departure  on  the  25th  of  the  same 
month,  and  Texas  on  the  ist  of  February. 

Three  days  after  the  secret  meeting  at  Washington, 
Jacob  Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  resigned  ; 
and  in  two  days  more  P.  F.  Thomas  of  Maryland, 
who  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  place  of 
Howell  Cobb,  took  the  same  step.  Cobb  himself 
had  resigned  a  month  before.  On  the  21st  of  Janu- 
ary Messrs.  Yulee  and  Mallory  of  Florida  resigned 
their  seats  in  the  Senate,  and  just  a  week  later  Mr. 
Iverson  of  Georgia  followed  their  example.  Then 
Messrs.  Clay  and  Fitzpatrick  of  Alabama  said  they 
would  not  stay  any  longer,  and  Jefferson  Davis  left 
at  the  same  time.  Messrs.  Slidell  and  Benjamin  of 
Louisiana  took  their  leave  on  the  4th  of  February. 


io8      TJie  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

• 

The  convention  of  the  seceded  States  met  on  this 
day  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  adopted  a  pro- 
visional constitution,  to  remain  in  force  for  one  year. 
Jefferson  Davis  was  chosen  President,  and  Alexander 
H.  Stephens  Vice-President,  of  this  so-called  confed- 
eracy. Jefferson  Davis  declared  that  the  South  was 
determined  to  maintain  her  position,  and  all  who 
opposed  her  should  be  made  to  smell  Southern  pow- 
der and  feel  Southern  steel.  He  said  he  supposed 
the  South  would  experience  some  inconveniences  in 
the  beginning,  but  he  had  no  doubt  of  final  success. 

These  infamous  proceedings  were  not  by  any  means 
the  acts  of  the  whole  Southern  people,  but  only  of  « 
few  base  conspirators  against  the  best  government 
any  nation  ever  lived  under.  Ln  no  instance  did  the 
people  have  an  opportunity  to  vote  for  or  against  the 
act  of  secession. 

The  new  confederacy  now  began  to  make  all  sorts 
of  preparations  for  war,  although  they  did  not  intend 
to  do  any  fighting  as  long  as  Mr.  Buchanan  remained 
in  the  chair;  for,  as  he  had  said  that  he  did  not 
think  he  had  any  right  to  coerce  a  State,  they  con- 
cluded that,  no  matter  what  they  did,  the  President 
would  not  meddle  with  them.  So  they  made  con- 
tracts all  over  the  South  for  the  manufacture  of  pow- 
der, shot,  shells,  and  cannon-balls.  They  also  began 
to  organize  an  army,  and  on  the  6th  of  March  their 


Attempts  at  Conciliation.  109 

so-called  Congress  passed  an  act  to  raise  a  force  of  a 
hundred  thousand  men. 

While  these  things  were  going  on,  our  own  Con 
gressmen  were  trying  in  every  way  to  devise  some 
measures  to  conciliate  the  Southern  people.  They 
spent  the  whole  winter  in  offering  various  resolutions, 
which  conceded  all  that  the  South  could  in  justice 
demand.  But  the  South  had  no  idea  of  coming 
back,  or,  rather,  the  men  at  the  head  of  the  secession 
movement  had  no  idea  of  allowing  her  to  come 
back. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Lincoln  leaves  Springfield.  —  Farewell.  —  His  Arrival  at  Tolono, 
Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Steubenville,  Pitts- 
burg, Cleveland,  Buffalo,  Rochester,  Syracuse,  Utica, 
Albany,  Troy,  Hudson,  Poughkeepsie,  Peekskill,  New  York, 
Trenton,  Philadelphia,  Harrisburg.  —  Plot  to  take  his  Life. 
—  His  Safe  Arrival  at  Washington.  —  Lincoln's  Address. 


HE    inauguration    of  Mr,  Lincoln   was    at 
hand.     You  have  now  seen  what  a  terri- 
ble   condition   the    country   was    in,    and 
what  an  appalling  task  he  had  before  him. 
Mr.  Lincoln   left  his   home   in   Springfield   on   the 
!ith  of  February.     A  large  company  of  his  friends 
and   neighbors  attended    him  to  the  station,  and  he 
bade  them  good-by  in  these  words :  — 

"  My  friends,  no  one  not  in  my  position  can  appreciate  the 
sadness  I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that 
I  am.  Here  I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ; 
here  my  children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies 
buried.  I  know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  A 
duty  devolves  upon  me  which  is,  perhaps,  greater  than  that 
which  has  devolved  upon  any  other  man  since  the  days  of 
Washington.     He  would  never  have  succeeded  except  for  the 


Lincoln's  Farewell  to  his  Neighbors.         1 1 1 


aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon  which  he  at  all  times  relied. 
I  feel  that  I  cannot  succeed  without  the  same  Divine  aid 
which  sustained  him,  and  on  the  same  x\lmighty  Being  I 
place  my  reliance  for  support ;  and  I  hope  you,  my  friends, 
will  all  pray  that  I  may  receive  that  Divine  assistance  without 
which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  v/hich  success  is  certain. 
Again  I  bid  you  all  an  affectionate  farewell." 

Now,  my  children,  I  want  you  to  read  carefully  this 
farewell  of  Mr.  Lincoln's,  for  it  is  a  perfect  gem. 
It  is  very  simple,  as  is  everything  else  the  great  man 
ever  said. 

What  a  beautiful,  tender,  modest  soul  was  his ! 
With  what  childlike  faith  in  God  he  embarked  on 
his  tempestuous  voyage !  Some  men  would  have 
been  lifted  up  with  pride  at  being  called  to  fill  the 
highest  position  in  the  United  States.  Others  would 
have  trembled  and  shrunk  from  assuming  that  posi- 
tion amid  so  great  perils.  For,  besides  the  terribly 
disturbed  state  of  the  country,  about  which  I  have 
already  told  you,  a  company  of  bad  men  had  openly 
made  their  boast  that  they  would  never  allow  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  reach  Washington  alive.  They  meant  to 
kill  him  somewhere  on  the  route. 

Now,  although  Mr.  Lincoln  was  fully  alive  to  every 
particular  connected  with  his  position,  he  was  neither 
puffed  up  with  pride  nor  depressed  with  fear,  but  was 
calm  and  quiet;   perhaps  he  was  the  calmest  man  in 


112      TJie  Children'' s  Life  of  Abraham  Lineoln. 

the  whole  country.  And  the  reason  was  this :  he 
trusted  in  God  and  the  people.  Probably  there 
never  was  a  public  man  who  had  such  confidence  in 
the  people  as  he  had.  He  did  not  believe  the  people 
would  ever  allow  this  great  and  mighty  nation  to  go 
to  ruin,  and  he  kept  telling  them  so.  But,  more  than 
all,  he  believed  in  God.  He  tells  his  friends,  as  he 
bids  them  good-by,  that  with  God's  assistance  success 
is  certain.  He  asked  God  to  assist  him,  and  he  be- 
lieved God  would  do  it;  so  he  went  forth  on  his 
mighty  voyage  as  firm  as  a  rock  and  as  modest  as  a 
child.  Abraham  Lincoln  never  placed  his  head  upon 
his  pillow  at  night  without  saying  his  prayers ;  and  if 
you  do  as  he  did,  you  may  expect  God's  blessing  as 
much  as  he  expected  it. 

As  the  train  which  bore  Mr.  Lincoln  went  whirling 
and  shrieking  through  the  country,  people  every- 
where assembled  at  the  railroad  stations.  The  ladies 
and  girls  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and  threw  bou- 
quets into  the  cars,  and  the  men  and  boys  shouted 
for  "  Lincoln  and  the  Constitution  "  at  the  top  of 
their  voices.  Wherever  the  cars  stopped  long  enough, 
Mr.  Lincoln  would  make  his  appearance  and  say  a 
few  kind  and  pleasant  words ;  and  at  places  where 
he  remained  for  several  hours  he  sometimes  made 
speeches  of  considerable  length.  At  little  villages, 
where  the  train  only  paused  for  a  moment,  he  replied 


Mr.  Lincoln  starts  for  Washington.  113 

with  bows  and  pleasant  smiles  to  the  greetings  which 
everywhere  met  him.  You  shall  hear  a  few  of  the 
things  he  said  along  the  route.  At  Tolono,  amid 
deafening  applause,  he  said :  — 

"  I  am  leaving  you  on  an  errand  of  national  importance, 
attended,  as  you  are  aware,  with  considerable  difficulties. 
Let  us  believe,  as  some  poet  has  expressed  it,  '  Behind  the 
cloud,  the  sun  is  still  shining.'  I  bid  you  an  afiectionate 
farewell." 

At  Indianapolis  Mr.  Lincoln  found  the  Governor 
of  the  State  waiting  for  him  in  his  carriage.  The 
whole  city  had  turned  out  to  do  Mr.  Lincoln  honor, 
and  he  was  escorted  to  the  Bates  House  in  splendid 
style.  In  his  address  to  the  people  from  the  balcony 
of  the  hotel,  he  said :  — 

•'  To  the  salvation  of  the  Union  there  needs  but  one  single 
thing,  —  the  hearts  of  a  people  hke  yours.  The  people, 
when  they  rise  in  mass  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  the  liber- 
ties of  their  country,  —  truly  may  it  be  said,  '  The  gates  of 
hell  cannot  prevail  against  them.'  " 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  again  to  the 
members  of  the  Legislature,  and  the  next  morning 
set  off  for  Cincinnati,  where  he  arrived  about  noon. 
All  along  the  route,  at  every  railroad-station,  thou- 
sands of  people  had  assembled  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  coming  President  and  shout  their  welcome. 

At  Cincinnati  Mr.  Lincoln's  reception  was  almost 

8 


114     TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abrahain  Lincoln. 


overwhelming.  The  streets  were  jammed  with  peo- 
ple, and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  his  escort 
forced  a  passage  through  the  crowd  to  the  Burnett 
House,  which  had  been  decorated  and  fitted  up  in 
the  most  beautiful  manner  in  honor  of  his  arrival. 
Mr.  Lincoln  remained  at  Cincinnati  until  the  next 
morning,  when  he  set  off  for  Columbus,  the  capital 
of  the  State,  attended  by  a  portion  of  the  Ohio  Leg- 
islature, who  had  come  on  to  escort  him  thither. 
Upon  their  arrival  at  Columbus,  the  party  proceeded 
to  the  State  House,  where  Mr.  Lincoln  was  greeted 
by  the  Lieutenant-Governor.  To  the  Legislature 
Mr.  Lincoln  said  :  — 

"  It  is  true,  as  has  been  said  by  the  President  of  the  Senate, 
that  very  great  responsibility  rests  upon  me  in  the  position 
to  which  the  votes  of  the  American  people  have  called  me. 
I  am  deeply  sensible  of  that  weighty  responsibility.  I  cannot 
but  know  —  what  you  all  know  —  that  without  a  name,  per- 
haps without  a  reason  why  I  should  have  a  name,  there  has 
fallen  upon  me  a  task  such  as  did  not  rest  even  upon  the 
Father  of  his  Country  ;  and  so  feeling,  I  cannot  but  turn  and 
look  for  the  support  without  which  it  will  be  impossible  for  me 
to  perform  that  great  task.  I  turn,  then,  and  look  to  the 
great  American  people,  and  to  that  God  who  has  never 
forsaken  them." 

Observe  how  Mr.  Lincoln  constantly  refers  to  his 
low  origin.     Some  men  would  have  been  ashamed  of 


ATr.  Lincoln  at  Pittsburg.  115 

it ;  he  never  was.  He  never  forgot  that  he  was  born 
in  a  log-cabin ;  he  did  not  think  that  made  him  any 
better  or  any  worse ;  he  was  truly  independent,  and 
believed  in  the  independence  of  all  men.  He  feared 
no  man,  but  he  feared  God ;  that  is,  he  feared  to 
displease  him,  and  loved  to  obey  him. 

The  following  morning  Mr.  Lincoln  left  Columbus. 
The  train  paused  at  Steubenville,  where  he  said  to  the 
people :  "  I  fear  that  the  great  confidence  placed  in 
my  ability  is  unfounded ;  indeed,  I  am  sure  it  is. 
Encompassed  by  vast  difficulties,  as  I  am,  nothing 
shall  be  wanting  on  my  part,  if  sustained  by  the 
American  people  and  God."  This  was  his  trust  from 
first  to  last,  —  God  and  the  people. 

The  train  rushed  on,  and  in  the  evening  reached 
Pittsburg,  where  Mr,  Lincoln  was  met,  as  usual,  by  a 
crowd  of  enthusiastic  admirers,  and  escorted  to  the 
Monongahela  House.  Here  he  said  that  if  all  the 
whole-souled  people  whom  he  saw  this  evening  before 
him  were  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  he  did 
not  see  how  it  could  be  in  much  danc^er.  In  the 
morning  he  was  waited  upon  by  the  Mayor  and  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  city,  to  whom,  after  an  address  of 
welcome  on  their  part,  he  said :  — 

"The  condition  of  the  country  is  an  extraordinary  one, 
and  fills  the  mind  of  every  patriot  with  anxiety.  My  advice 
is,  to  keep  cool.     If  the  great  American  people  only  keep 


ii6     TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

their  temper  on  both  sides  of  the  line,  the  trouble  will  come 
to  an  end,  and  the  question  which  now  distracts  the  country 
will  be  settled ;  and  just  as  other  clouds  have  cleared  away 
in  due  time,  so  will  this  great  nation  continue  to  prosper,  as 
heretofore." 

Then  he  spoke  of  the  tariff.  "  The  tariff,"  said  he, 
"  is  a  question  of  national  housekeeping.  It  is  to  the 
Government  what  replenishing  the  meal-tub  is  to  the 
family."  Then,  quoting  from  the  Chicago  platform, 
he  said :  — 

"  While  providing  revenue  for  the  support  of  the  general 
Government,  by  duties  upon  imports,  sound  policy  requires 
such  an  adjustment  of  these  imports  as  will  encourage  the 
development  of  the  industrial  interest  of  the  whole  country  : 
and  we  commend  that  policy  of  national  exchanges  which 
secures  to  working-men  liberal  wages,  to  agriculture  remuner- 
ative prices,  to  mechanics  and  manufacturers  adequate  reward 
for  their  skill,  labor,  and  enterprise,  and  to  the  nation 
commercial  prosperity  and  independence." 

Mr.  Lincoln  wanted  to  have  everj'body  treated 
fairly ;  he  did  not  wish  one  part  of  the  nation  to 
grow  rich  at  the  expense  of  another  part,  but  he 
wanted  all  sections  to  enjoy  equal  advantages. 

From  Pittsburg  he  went  to  Cleveland.  Here  the 
shouts  and  cheers  of  the  people  blended  with  the 
thunders  of  cannon,  as  a  long  procession  escorted  him 
to  the  Weddell  House,  where  he  was  greeted  b}*  the 
Mayor  of  the  city.     Here  Mr.  Lincoln  said  :  — 


Greeted  by  Men  of  all  Parties.  1 1 7 

"  We  have  been  marching  about  two  miles,  through  snow, 
rain,  and  deep  mud.  The  large  numbers  that  have  turned 
out  under  these  circumstances  testify  that  you  are  in  earnest 
about  something  or  other.  I  am  given  to  understand  that 
this  reception  is  tendered,  not  only  by  my  own  party  support- 
ers, but  by  men  of  all  parties.  This  is  as  it  should  be.  If 
Judge  Douglas  had  been  elected  and  had  been  here,  on  his 
way  to  Washington,  as  I  am  to-night,  the  Republicans  should 
have  joined  his  supporters  in  welcoming  him,  just  as  his 
friends  have  joined  with  mine  to-night.  If  all  do  not  join 
now  to  save  the  good  old  ship  of  the  Union  on  this  voyage, 
nobody  will  have  a  chance  to  pilot  her  on  another  voyage.'' 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  departure 
for  Buffalo.  An  immense  throng  awaited  his  arrival, 
and  escorted  him  to  the  American  House,  where  he 
was,  as  usual,  greeted  by  the  Mayor,  in  reply  to  whose 
address  he  said  :  — 

"  Your  worthy  Mayor  has  thought  fit  to  express  the  hope 
that  I  may  be  able  to  relieve  the  country  from  the  present, 
or,  I  should  say,  the  threatened  difficulties.  I  am  sure  I  bring 
a  heart  true  to  the  work.  For  the  ability  to  perform  it  I 
must  trust  in  that  Supreme  Being  who  has  never  forsaken 
this  favored  land,  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  great 
and  intelligent  people.  Without  that  assistance  I  shall  surely 
fail ;  with  it  I  cannot  fail.  Allow  me  to  say  that  you,  as  a 
portion  of  the  great  American  people,  need  only  to  maintain 
your  composure,  stand  up  to  your  sober  convictions  of  right, 
to  your  obligations  to  the  Constitution,  and  act  in  accordance 


ii8      The  Childrc7is  Life  of  AbraJiajn  Lincoln. 

with  those  sober  convictions  ;  and  the  clouds  which  now 
arise  in  the  horizon  will  be  dispelled,  and.  we  shall  have  a 
bright  and  glorious  future.  And  when  this  generation  has 
passed  away,  tens  of  thousands  will  inhabit  this  country, 
where  only  thousands  inhabit  it  now," 

Mr.  Lincoln's  words  were  those  of  a  prophet.  A 
bright  and  glorious  future  is  indeed  dawning  upon  the 
nation,  unstained  by  the  foul  blot  of  slavery;  and  this 
has  been  accomplished,  as  Mr.  Lincoln  said  it  would 
be,  by  the  people,  because  they  acted  up  to  their 
earnest  convictions  of  right.  But  little  did  he  or  they 
imagine  then  in  how  terrible  a  manner  this  was  to  be 
wrought  out.  God  has  his  own  ways  to  bring  about 
all  his  purposes,  and  his  ways  are  not  always  our 
ways. 

Mr.  Lincoln  remained  at  Buffalo  over  Sunday,  and 
on  Monday  morning  left  for  Rochester,  at  which 
place  he  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  assembled  crowd. 
Then  the  train  pushed  on  for  Syracuse.  Here  the 
people  had  erected  a  very  handsome  platform  for  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  stand  upon  while  he  addressed  them  ;  but 
there  was  not  time  for  him  to  ascend  it.  He  said  a 
few  kind  words  to  them,  however,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Utica.  The  train  paused  only  a  few  moments,  and 
then  sped  on  to  Albany,  where  a  great  procession  es- 
corted Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  State  House.  Here,  in  an 
address  to  the  Legislature,  he  said  :  — 


Mr.  Lincoln  s   Trnst  in  the  People.  1 19 

"  It  is  true  that  while  I  hold  myself,  without  mock  modesty, 
the  humblest  of  all  individuals  that  have  ever  been  elevated 
to  the  Presidency,  I  have  a  more  difficult  task  to  perform 
than  any  one  of  them.  I  don't  propose  to  speak  at  this 
time  of  the  policy  of  the  Government.  But  when  the  time 
comes  I  shall  speak,  as  well  as  I  am  able,  for  the  good  of  the 
present  and  future  of  this  country,  —  for  the  good  both  of 
the  North  and  the  South  of  this  country,  for  the  good  of  the 
one  and  the  other,  and  of  all  sections  of  the  country.'' 

Mr.  Lincoln  next  passed  on  to  Troy,  where  he 
thanked  the  people  very  kindly  for  their  great  recep- 
tion. At  Hudson  he  spoke  a  few  pleasant  words,  but 
had  not  time  to  ascend  the  beautiful  platform  which 
had  been  erected  for  him.  At  Poughkeepsie,  where 
great  honors  were  showered  upon  him,  Mr.  Lincoln 
said:  — 

"  In  accepting  the  great  trust  committed  to  me,  which  I 
do  with  a  determination  to  endeavor  to  prove  worthy  of  it, 
I  must  rely  upon  you,  upon  the  people  of  the  whole  country, 
for  support ;  and  with  their  sustaining  aid,  even  I,  humble  as 
I  am,  cannot  fail  to  carry  the  ship  of  State  safely  through 
the  storm." 

At  Peekskill  he  said  :  — 

"  If  I  can  only  be  as  generously  and  unanimously  sustained 
as  the  demonstrations  I  have  witnessed  indicate  I  shall  be,  I 
shall  not  fail ;  but  without  your  sustaining  hands  I  am  sure 
that  neither  I  nor  any  other  man  can  hope  to  surmount  these 
difficulties." 


I20     Tlie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Lincoln  now  proceeded  to  New  York,  where 
he  arrived  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Business 
was  suspended,  and  all  Broadway  was  crammed  with 
the  immense  throng  which  tried  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  future  President,  as  he  was  being  escorted  to  the 
Astor  House.  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped  upon  the  balcony 
of  the  hotel,  and  showed  himself  to  the  excited  multi- 
tude, who  kept  calling  for  him ;  but  he  was  too  tired 
to  make  a  speech.  The  next  morning  he  was  escorted 
with  great  honor  to  the  City  Hall,  and  welcomed  by 
the  Mayor.     Mr.  Lincoln  said  here:  — 

'■  I  understand  that  the  ship  is  made  for  the  carrying  and 
preservation  of  the  cargo  ;  and  so  long  as  the  ship  is  safe  with 
the  cargo,  it  shall  not  be  abandoned.  This  Union  shall  never 
be  abandoned,  unless  the  possibility  of  its  existence  shall 
cease  to  exist,  without  the  necessity  of  throwing  passengers 
and  cargo  overboard." 

Mr.  Lincoln  now  proceeded  to  Trenton,  pausing 
for  a  little  at  Jersey  City  and  Newark.  At  Trenton 
he  was  received  by  a  portion  of  the  Legislature,  and 
escorted  to  the  State  House.     Here  he  said :  — ■ 

"  May  I  be  pardoned  if  upon  this  occasion  I  mention  that 
away  back  in  my  childhood,  the  earliest  days  of  my  being 
able  to  read,  I  got  hold  of  a  small  book,  —  such  a  one  as 
few  of  the  younger  members  have  ever  seen,  —  Weems's  '  Life 
of  Washington.'  I  remember  all  the  accounts  there  given  of 
the  battlefields  and  struggles  for  the  liberties  of  the  country ; 


Tlie  Union  must  be  Preserved.  121 

and  none  fixed  themselves  upon  my  imagination  so  deeply 
as  the  struggle  here  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  The  crossing 
of  the  river,  the  contest  with  the  Hessians,  the  great  hard- 
ships endured  at  that  time,  —  all  fixed  themselves  upon  my 
memory  more  than  any  single  Revolutionary  event ;  and  you 
all  know,  for  you  have  all  been  boys,  how  these  early  impres- 
sions last  longer  than  any  others.  I  recollect  thinking  then, 
boy  even  though  I  was,  that  there  must  have  been  something 
more  than  common  that  these  men  struggled  for. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  that  that  thing  which  they 
struggled  for,  that  something,  even  more  than  national  inde- 
pendence, that  something  that  held  out  a  great  promise  to 
all  the  people  of  the  world  to  all  time  to  come,  —  I  am  ex- 
ceedingly anxious  that  this  Union,  the  Constitution,  and  the 
liberties  of  the  people  shall  be  perpetuated  in  accordance 
with  the  original  idea  for  which  that  struggle  was  made  ;  and 
I  shall  be  most  happy,  indeed,  if  I  shall  be  an  humble  instru- 
ment in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty,  and  of  this  his  most 
chosen  people,  for  perpetuating  the  object  of  that  great 
struggle." 

Addressing  the  other  branch  of  the  Legislature,  he 
said :  "  The  man  does  not  live  who  is  more  devoted 
to  peace  than  I  am,  none  who  would  do  more  to  pre- 
serve it ;  but  it  may  be  necessary  to  put  the  foot  down 
firmly.  And  if  I  do  my  duty  and  do  right,  you  will 
sustain  me,  will  you  not?"  He  was  answered  with 
hearty  cheers  and  cries  of  "  Yes,  yes,  we  will." 

From  Trenton  Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded  to  Philadel- 


122      The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


phia,  and  was  escorted  to  the  Continental  House. 
While  in  this  city  he  was  invited  to  raise  the  national 
flag  over  old  Independence  Hall,  where  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  first  published  to  the  world. 
Before  raising  the  flag  he  said :  — 

"  I  have  often  pondered  over  the  dangers  which  were  in- 
cuiTed  by  the   men  who  assembled  here,  and  framed  and 
adopted  that  Declaration  of  Independence.     I   have  pon- 
dered over  tlie  toils  that  were  endured  by  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  army  who  achieved  that  independence.     I 
have  often  inquired  of  myself,  what  great  principle  or  idea  it 
was  that  kept  this  confederacy  so  long  together.     It  was  not 
the  mere  matter  of  the  separation  of  the  Colonies  from  the 
mother-land,  but  that  sentiment  in  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence which  gave  liberty,  not  alone  to  the  people  of  this 
country,  but  hope  to  all  the  worid  for  all  future  time.     It 
was  that  which  gave  promise  that  in  due  time  the  weight 
would  be  hfted  from  the  shoulders  of  all  men,  and  that  all 
should  have  an  equal  chance.     This  is  the  sentiment  em- 
bodied  in   the    Declaration   of  Independence.      Now,    my 
friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  upon  that  basis  .^     If  ir 
can,  I  shall  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest  men  \\\  the 
world  if  I  can  help  to  save  it.     If  it  cannot  be  saved  upon 
that  principle,  it  will  be  truly  awful.     But  if  this  country  can- 
not be  saved  without  giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to 
say  I  would  rather  be  assassinated  on  this  spot  than  surren- 
der it.     I  have  said  nothing  but  what  I  am  willing  to  live  by, 
and,  if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  Almighty  God,  to  die  by."-' 


Mr.  Lincoln  reaches    Washington. 


He  was  now  escorted  to  a  platform  in  front  of  the 
building,  and  the  cord  was  placed  in  his  hands.  The 
beautiful  flag  arose  to  the  top  of  the  staff,  and  he  says 
himself  that  "  it  floated  gloriously  to  the  wind,  with- 
out an  accident,  in  the  bright,  glowing  sunshine  of 
the  morning."  While  the  flag  was  being  raised,  the 
artillery  roared  out  its  loudest  thunders,  for  an 
accompaniment. 

In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  departure 
for  Harrisburg,  stopping  for  a  moment  at  Lancaster. 
He  addressed  the  Legislature  at  the  State  Capitol, 
then  devoted  several  hours  to  the  reception  of  vis- 
itors, and  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  retired  to 
his  room.  Nobody  saw  him  after  that  until  he  ar- 
rived safe  in  Washington  the  next    morning. 

There  was  a  good  reason  for  this  disappearance. 
You  will  recollect  that  a  band  of  bad  men  had  sworn 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  should  never  reach  Washington 
alive.  Some  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends,  hearing  a  ru- 
mor of  the  plot,  determined  to  find  out  if  there  were 
any  foundation  for  it.  For  this  purpose  they  em- 
ployed a  skilful  and  experienced  detective  to  sift  the 
matter  to  the  very  bottom.  This  police-officer  went 
to  Baltimore  some  time  before  the  expected  arrival 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  in  a  very  ingenious  manner  suc- 
ceeded in  unravelling  the  plot.  He  found  that  a 
large   band   of  assassins,   commanded   bv   an    Italian 


124     TJie  CJiildrc7is  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

barber  who  called  himself  Orsini,  had  taken  a  solemn 
oath  that  Mr.  Lincoln  should  never  leave  Baltimore 
alive,  if,  indeed,  he  should  ever  enter  it;  at  all  events, 
he  should  never  be  inaugurated. 

These  fellows  intended  to  throw  the  train  oft'  the 
track  before  it  reached  Baltimore  ;  but  if  they  should 
fail  to  do  this,  the  assassins  were  to  mix  with  the 
crowd  which  should  surround  Mr.  Lincoln's  carriage 
as  he  passed  through  the  city.  They  were  to  pretend 
to  be  his  warmest  friends  and  admirers,  that  they 
might  get  very  close  to  the  carriage ;  and  when  near 
enough,  their  barber  captain  was  to  give  a  signal,  at 
which  some  of  these  conspirators  were  to  discharge 
pistols  at  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  others  were  to  throw  hand 
grenades  (small  iron  shells  filled  with  detonating  pow- 
der) into  his  carriage.  This  gang  thought  that  by 
these  combined  measures  Mr.  Lincoln  must  surely  be 
killed.  They  intended  to  save  themselves  by  min- 
gling with  the  crowd,  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement 
which  would  naturally  follow,  and  make  good  their 
escape  to  a  vessel  which  was  to  be  in  waiting  for 
them  in  the  harbor. 

By  the  time  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  arrived  at  Phila- 
delphia, this  skilful  detective  had  discovered  the  en- 
tire plot;  and  he  hurried  on  to  that  city  to  disclose 
it  to  our  future  President,  and  to  warn  him  that  he 
must  not  pass  through  Baltimore. 


How  Mr.  Lincoln  Escaped.  125 


At  first  Mr.  Lincoln  could  not  credit  the  detective's 
story:  he  was  so  good  himself  that  he  could  not  be- 
lieve such  evil  of  others ;  moreover,  he  disliked  to 
change  his  plans,  and  so  disappoint  the  people  who 
were  expecting  to  see  him.  But  at  length,  when  his 
friends  had  convinced  him  that  there  could  be  no 
mistake  about  this  horrible  plot,  he  yielded  to  their 
solicitations  and  altered  his  arrangements. 

After  retiring  to  his  room  at  Harrisburg,  as  every- 
body thought  to  rest,  he  put  on  a  Scotch, plaid  cap  and 
a  long  military  cloak,  —  according  to  some  authorities, 
though  others  say  that  he  was  not  disguised  at  all, — 
and  stepping  into  a  carriage  which  had  been  provided 
for  him,  was  driven  rapidly  to  the  railroad-station,  and 
returned  in  a  special  train  to  Philadelphia.  As  soon 
as  he  left  the  hotel  at  Harrisburg  all  the  telegraph 
wires  were  cut,  so  that  if  his  departure  were  discov- 
ered, it  could  not  be  made  known  to  other  cities. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  arrived  at  Philadelphia, 
he  boarded  the  night  train  for  Washington,  where  he 
arrived  safe  the  next  morning  at  six  o'clock.  Mr. 
Washburn,  member  of  Congress  from  Illinois,  met 
him  at  the  station,  and  escorted  him  to  Willard's 
Hotel.  It  was  immediately  telegraphed  all  over  the 
country  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  Washington.  When 
those  wicked  conspirators  heard  that  he  had  escaped 
them,  and  that  their  plans  had  been  found  out  and 


126     TJic  CJiiidrai s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

baffled,  they  were  very  much  enraged,  and  still  swore 
that  he  should  never  be  hiaugurated. 

Mrs.  Lincoln,  who,  with  her  children,  had  remained 
behind  in  company  with  friends,  soon  followed  her 
husband  to  Washington. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  waited  on  by  the  Mayor  and  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  city,  and  was  also  serenaded. 
To  the  large  crowd  assembled  on  this  occasion  he 
said :  — 

"  We  are  in  no  wise  disposed,  if  it  were  in  our  power,  to 
oppress  you,  to  deprive  you  of  any  of  your  rights  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  or  even  narrowly  to  split 
hairs  with  you  in  regard  to  these  rights  ;  but  are  determined 
to  give  you,  as  far  as  lies  in  our  hands,  all  your  rights  under 
the  Constitution,  —  not  grudgingly,  but  fully  and  fairly." 

This  was  the  last  time  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared  in 
public,  until  the  day  of  his  inauguration. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Lincoln's  Inauguration.  —  Personal  Appearance.—  Habits. 


HE  4th  of  March,  1861, 
had  now  arrived.  Great 
anxiety  was  felt,  not 
only  at  Washington, 
but  all  over  the  Union, 
lest  the  inauguration 
should  prove  a  scene 
of  bloodshed.  But  the 
venerable  General 
Scott,  the  good,  brave, 
and  loyal  defender  of  his  country,  had  made  skilful 
provision  against  an  outbreak.  He  had  called  out  a 
large  military  force,  and  if  assassins  were  present, 
they  did  not  attempt  to   disturb  the   ceremony. 

An  immense  procession  escorted  Mr.  Lincoln  to 
the  Capitol,  where,  standing  on  a  magnificent  plat- 
form erected  for  him  on  the  east  front  of  the  edifice, 
he  took  the  oath  of  office  and  delivered  his  inaugural 
address,  —  in  the  presence,  it  is  said,  of  at  least  ten 


128      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

thousand  persons.  You  shall  have  a  few  extracts 
from  the  Inaugural.  Mr.  Lincoln,  after  solemnly 
assuring  the  Southern  people  that  he  had  no  intention 
of  meddling  with  slavery  wherever  it  already  existed, 
and  after  pledging  them  that  all  their  rights  under 
the  Constitution  would  be  respected,  said :  — 

"  It  is  sevent3'-t\vo  years  since  the  first  inauguration  of  a 
President  under  our  National  Constitution.  During  that 
period  fifteen  different  and  greatly  distinguished  citizens  have, 
in  succession,  administered  the  Executive  branch  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. They  have  conducted  it  through  many  perils,  and 
generally  with  great  success.  Yet,  with  all  this  scope  for 
precedent,  I  now  enter  upon  the  same  task,  for  the  brief  con- 
stitutional term  of  four  years,  under  great  and  peculiar  diffi- 
culty. A  disruption  of  the  Federal  Union,  heretofore  only 
menaced,  is  now  formidably  attempted.  I  hold  that  in  con- 
templation of  universal  law  and  of  the  Constitution,  the  Union 
of  these  States  is  perpetual.  Continue  to  execute  all  the  ex- 
press provisions  of  our  National  Government,  and  the  Union 
will  endure  forever,  —  it  being  impossible  to  destroy  it,  ex- 
cept by  some  action  not  provided  for  in  the  instrument  itself 

'•'  I  therefore  consider  that,  in  view  of  the  Constitution  and 
the  laws,  the  Union  is  unbroken ;  and  to  the  extent  of  my 
ability  I  shall  take  care,  as  the  Constitution  itself  jsxpressly 
enjoins  upon  me,  that  the  laws  of  the  Union  be  faithfully 
executed  in  all  the  States.  Doing  this  I  deem  to  be  only  a 
simple  duty  on  my  part,  and  I  shall  perform  it  so  far  as 
practicable,  unless  my  rightful  masters,  the  American  people. 


The  Inaugural  Address.  129 


shall  withhold  the  requisite  means,  or  in  some  authoritative 
manner  direct  the  contrary.  In  doing  this,  there  need  be  no 
bloodshed  or  violence  ;  and  there  shall  be  none,  unless  it  be 
forced  upon  the  national  authority.  The  power  confided  to 
me  will  be  used  to  hold,  occupy,  and  possess  the  property 
and  places  belonging  to  the  Government,  and  to  collect  the 
duties  and  imposts ;  but  beyond  what  may  be  necessary  for 
these  objects,  there  will  be  no  invasion,  no  using  of  force 
against  or  among  the  people  anywhere.  That  there  are  per- 
sons in  one  section  or  another  who  seek  to  destroy  the  Union 
at  all  events,  and  are  glad  of  any  pretext  to  do  it,  I  will 
neither  affirm  nor  deny  ;  but  if  there  be  such,  I  need  address 
no  word  to  them. 

"  To  those,  however,  who  really  love  the  Union  may  I  not 
speak?  Before  entering  upon  so  grave  a  matter  as  the 
destruction  of  our  national  fabric,  with  all  its  benefits,  its 
memories,  and  its  hopes,  would  it  not  be  wise  to  ascertain 
precisely  why  we  do  it  ?  Will  you  hazard  so  desperate  a  step 
while  there  is  any  possibility  that  any  portion  of  the  ills  you 
fly  from  have  no  real  existence  ?  Will  you,  while  the  certain 
ills  you  fly  to  are  greater  than  all  the  real  ones  you  fly  from, — 
will  you  risk  the  commission  of  so  fearful  a  mistake  ?  All 
profess  to  be  content  in  the  Union,  if  all  constitutional  rights 
can  be  maintained.  Is  it  true,  then,  that  any  right  plainly 
written  in  the  Constitution  has  been  denied?  I  think  not. 
Happily,  the  human  mind  is  so  constituted  that  no  party  can 
reach  to  the  audacity  of  doing  this.  Think,  if  you  can,  of  a 
single  instance  in  which  a  plainly  written  provision  of  the 
Constitution  has  ever  been  denied. 

9 


I30      The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


"■  Physically  speaking,  we  cannot  separate.  We  cannot  re- 
move our  respective  sections  from  each  other,  nor  build  an 
impassable  wall  between  them.  Intercourse,  either  amicable 
or  hostile,  must  continue  between  them.  Suppose  you  go  to 
war,  you  cannot  fight  always ;  and  when,  after  much  loss  on 
both  sides,  and  no  gain  on  either,  you  cease  fighting,  the 
identical  old  questions  as  to  terms  of  intercourse  are  again 
upon  you. 

"  Why  should  there  not  be  a  patient  confidence  in  the 
ultimate  jusrice  of  the  people  ?  Is  there  any  better  or  equal 
hope  in  the  world?  In  our  present  differences,  is  either 
party  without  faith  of  being  in  the  right?  If  the  Almighty 
Ruler  of  nations,  with  his  eternal  truth  and  justice,  be  on 
your  side  of  the  North,  or  on  yours  of  the  South,  that  truth 
and  that  justice  will  surely  prevail,  by  the  judgment  of  this 
great  tribunal  of  the  American  people.  My  countrymen, 
one  and  all,  think  calmly  and  well  upon  this  whole  subject. 
Nothing  valuable  can  be  lost  by  taking  time.  If  there  be  an 
object  to  hurry  any  one  of  you  in  hot  haste  to  a  step  which 
you  would  never  take  deliberately,  that  object  will  be  frus- 
trated by  taking  time  ;  but  no  good  object  can  be  frustrated 
by  it. 

"  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,  and 
not  in  mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  Gov- 
ernment will  not  assail  you  ;  you  can  have  no  conflict  with- 
out being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath  reg- 
istered in  heaven  to  destroy  the  Government ;  while  I  have 
the  most  solemn  one  to  '  preserve,  protect,  and  defend '  it. 
I  am  loath  to  close.     We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.     We 


Mr.  Lincoln's  Personal  Appearance.  131 

must  not  be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained, 
it  must  not  break,  our  bonds  of  affection.  The  mystic  cords 
of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battlefield  and  every  patriot 
grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this 
broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when 
again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of 
our  nature." 

Perhaps  you  would  like  to  know,  children,  how  this 
man  looked,  who  talked  so  earnestly,  so  calmly,  and 
so  afifectionately  to  all  the  people  in  the  United 
States,  but  in  particular,  to  those  who  wanted  to  get 
out  of  the  United  States.  You  must  imagine  to 
yourselves  a  tall  man,  very  tall,  indeed,  with  a  mas- 
sive frame  and  very  long  limbs.  He  was  also  thin  in 
flesh,  and  some  persons  have  called  him  awkward  in 
his  movements.  His  head  was  large  and  finely  de- 
veloped. He  had  a  good  forehead,  fine,  dark  gray 
eyes,  a  slightly  Roman  nose,  a  large  mouth,  and  a 
very  dark  complexion.  His  hair  was  black,  but 
tinged  with  gray,  and  his  voice  was  rich  and  silvery. 
His  expression  was  kind  and  winning,  though  habitu- 
ally sad.  It  has  been  said  that  his  face,  when  in 
repose,  would  not  be  likely  to  attract  notice;  but  in 
addressing  an  audience  he  possessed  a  very  remark- 
able power  of  commanding  their  attention.  Every 
eye  was  fastened  upon  him,  and  all  were  silent  as  death. 
His  countenance  became  glowing,  his   eye  lustrous, 


132     The  CJiildrens  Life  of  Abraha^n  Lincoln. 


and  his  whole  appearance,  instead  of  being  awkward 
or  ungainly,  was  now  graceful  and  eloquent.  He 
was  habitually  neat  in  his  dress,  but  not  fashionable. 

His  habits  were  as  pure  and  simple  as  a  child's. 
He  never  drank  anything  intoxicating,  not  even 
wine,  nor  used  tobacco  in  any  way.  This  was  the 
kind,  noble,  pure-hearted  man  that  stood  in  presence 
of  this  vast  multitude,  and  begged  every  person  who 
thought  of  trying  to  get  out  of  these  United  States 
to  stop  a  moment  and  ask  himself  what  he  wanted  to 
get  away  from.  He  earnestly  advised  all  such  per- 
sons to  count  the  cost,  and  see  if  they  could  gain 
anything  by  it.  He  did  not  tell  them  that  he  did  not 
think  he  had  any  right  to  coerce  them  or  meddle 
with  them,  whatever  they  did ;  on  the  other  hand,  he 
told  them  expressly  that  he  should  use  the  power 
confided  to  him  to  hold,  occupy,  and  possess  the 
property  and  places  belonging  to  the  Government, 
and  that  he  should  collect  the  duties  and  imposts. 
But  he  also  told  them  that  in  doing  this  there  need 
be  no  violence  or  bloodshed,  and  that  there  would 
be  none,  unless  they  themselves  began  the  strife. 

They  did  begin  it,  as  you  shall  presently  hear. 
South  Carolina  was  the  first  State  to  make  war  upon 
the  Union,  as  she  had  been  the  first  to  secede  from 
it.  To  her  belong  the  fame  and  the  shame  of  begin- 
ning the  unholy  contest. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

President  Lincoln  chooses  his  Cabinet.  —  The  "  Star  of  the 
West."  —  Anderson's  Letter.  —  The  President's  Dilemma. 
—  Surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  demanded  and  refused.  — 
Bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter.  —  Anderson  Surrenders.  — 
Exultation  of  the  South.  —  Indignation  of  the  North. 


^ 


RESIDENT    LINCOLN   was    in- 
augurated and   sworn  into  office, 
^  LJ^^=^^^     and  then  made  public  the  names 

of  his  Cabinet, —  his  official  fam- 
ily, with  whom  ho  might  sit  down 
and  consult  concerning  the  mo- 
mentous affairs  of  the  nation.  He 
appointed  William  H.  Seward  of 
New  York  Secretary  of  State, 
Salmon  P.  Chase  of  Ohio  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury,  Simon  Cam- 
eron of  Pennsylvania  Secretary 
of  War,  Gideon  Welles  of  Connecticut  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  Caleb  B.  Smith  of  Indiana  Secretary  of 
the   Interior,   Montgomery  Blair   of  Maryland    Post- 


134      TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


master-General,  and  Edward  Bates  of  Missouri  At- 
torney -  General.  The  Senate  confirmed  all  these 
appointments,  and  thus  these  gentlemen  became  Mr. 
Lincoln's   Cabinet. 

You  will  recollect  how  angry  the  South  Carolinians 
were  because  Major  Anderson  removed  from  Fort 
Moultrie  to  Fort  Sumter,  and  also  that  Mr.  Floyd, 
Mr.  Buchanan's  Secretary  of  War,  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  that  removal,  because  he  said  President 
Buchanan  in  allowing  it  had  broken  his  promise. 
Floyd  and  several  other  members  of  this  Cabinet 
said  that  Mr.  Buchanan  had  pledged  himself  that  no 
change  should  be  made  in  the  forts  in  Charleston 
Harbor,  and  that  no  reinforcements  should  be  sent 
to  any  of  these  forts.  The  Northern  people  had 
begun  to  feel  very  anxious  for  the  fate  of  these  forts, 
and  of  Fort  Sumter  in  particular;  for  it  was  well 
known  that  Major  Anderson  had  but  a  handful  of 
men,  and  was  nearly  out  of  provisions. 

Some  generous  merchants  in  New  York,  fearing 
that  the  Government  did  not  intend  to  do  anything 
for  the  brave  Major,  resolved  to  take  the  matter  into 
their  own  hands.  They  contributed  a  large  amount 
of  money,  and  selected  a  steamer  for  the  expedition. 
But  before  their  preparations  were  completed,  they 
found  that  the  Government  had  decided  to  send  sup- 
plies to  the  fort;   so  they  gave  up  their  plan.     The 


The  ''Star  of  the  West."  135 

Government  made  all  its  arrangements  for  reinforcing 
the  Major  with  the  greatest  secrecy. 

The  steamer  "  Star  of  the  West  "  was  selected  for 
the  purpose,  and  sailed  from  New  York,  pretending 
that  she  was  bound  for  Havana  and  New  Orleans. 
She  left  the  wharf  on  the  5th  of  January,  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  being  midwinter,  it 
was  of  course  so  dark  at  that  hour  that  nobody 
could  see  what  she  did.  She  steamed  down  the  bay 
just  as  if  she  had  started  on  her  course,  but  presently 
hove  to  and  took  on  board  soldiers,  arms,  ammuni- 
tion, and  supplies,  and  then  put  out  to  sea,  bound  for 
Charleston  Harbor.  She  arrived  off  the  bar  a  little 
past  one  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  instant. 
The  lighthouses  were  as  dark  as  pitch,  for  the  Rebels 
had  put  out  all  the  lights.  The  steamer  groped  along 
as  well  as  she  could,  taking  soundings  constantly  with 
her  lead. 

By  and  by  the  day  dawned,  and  it  was  discovered 
that  another  steamer  was  close  by.  Immediately  all 
the  troops  on  board  the  "Star  of  the  West  "were 
sent  below,  and  no  one  but  the  crew  was  allowed  on 
deck,  in  order  that  no  one  might  suspect  what  she 
came  for.  But  probably  everybody  who  saw  her 
knew  what  she  was  and  what  she  came  for ;  for  even 
then  the  Rebels  had  their  spies  in  all  the  Northern 
cities,  who  kept  them    constantly  informed   by   tele- 


I  s^     The  CJdldren's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

graph  of  all  that  was  going  on.  At  all  events,  when 
she  arrived  within  two  miles  of  Fort  Sumter,  a 
masked  battery  on  Morris  Island  opened  fire  upon 
her,  although  she  was  flying  the  American  flag  at  the 
time.  The  steamer  continued  on  her  way  for  about 
ten  minutes,  under  fire  from  this  battery,  when 
another  steamer,  with  an  armed  schooner  in  tow, 
was  seen  approaching.  The  captain  of  the  "  Star  of 
the  West "  now  concluded  that,  as  he  had  no  cannon 
to  defend  himself  with,  it  would  be  madness  for  him 
to  attempt  to  proceed ;  so  he  turned  about  and 
put  to  sea,  and  thus  no  supplies  reached  Major 
Anderson. 

But  although  the  "  Star  of  the  West "  did  not 
accomplish  anything,  the  Rebel  members  of  Mr. 
Buchanan's  Cabinet  were  very  angry  that  she  was 
even  allowed  to  sail,  and  Jacob  Thompson  resigned 
on  that  account.  President  Buchanan  did  not  take 
the  least  notice  of  this  insult  to  our  flag,  nor  did  he 
make  any  further  attempt  to  reinforce  Fort  Sumter. 

On  the  28th  of  February  Major  Anderson's  case 
had  become  so  desperate  that  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
the  War  Department  at  Washington,  describing  the 
perils  of  his  situation,  and  saying  that,  in  his  opinion, 
it  would  require  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  men  to 
throw  reinforcements  into  his  garrison  in  season  to 
save    him  from    starvation.     This  letter  was  not   re- 


Fort  Sumter  in  Danger.  137 

ceived  by  the  Department  until  the  4th  day  of 
March.  The  next  day  it  was  presented  to  President 
Lincoln,  who  immediately  laid  the  case  before 
General  Scott.  After  thinking  this  subject  over 
carefully  for  four  whole  days,  and  consulting  officers 
both  of  the  army  and  navy.  General  Scott  was 
obliged  to  conclude  that  the  Major  was  right.  But 
he  told  the  President  he  did  not  know  what  could  be 
done  about  the  matter,  for  the  Government  had  not 
such  a  body  of  men  at  its  disposal ;  neither  could  it 
raise  them,  before  the  garrison  would  be  out  of 
provisions. 

Now,  these  were  rather  startling  facts  to  stare  the 
President  in  the  face  at  the  very  beginning  of  his 
administration.  What  should  he  do?  If  he  should 
abandon  Fort  Sumter,  he  would  be  ruined;  for  the 
Rebels  would  then  conclude  that  they  could  do  any- 
thing they  pleased,  and  the  North  would  think  that 
the  President  did  not  intend  to  hinder  them.  But 
Major  Anderson  could  not  remain  in  the  fort  and 
starve  !      Fort  Pickens  was  also  in  great  peril. 

The  President  was  in  a  sad  dilemma.  He  did  not 
want  to  use  force  against  the  Rebels  if  he  could  help 
it.  He  had  told  them,  in  his  inaugural  address,  that 
there  would  be  no  war  unless  they  began  it;  but  he 
had  also  told  them  that  they  could  not  be  allowed  to 
steal    the    property   of  the   United   States.      After  a 


138      The  Childrms  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

great  deal  of  reflection  and  a  conference  with  Gen- 
eral Scott,  the  President  finally  concluded  that  he 
would  reinforce  Fort  Pickens  to  begin  with,  because 
he  thought  he  had  men  enough  at  his  command  to 
do  this;  and  perhaps  by  the  time  this  was  accom- 
plished, a  way  qiight  be  devised  for  reinforcing  Fort 
Sumter. 

Accordingly  the  President  despatched  an  order  to 
the  commander  of  the  steamship  "  Brooklyn "  to 
carry  the  troops  in  his  vessel  to  Fort  Pickens ;  but, 
from  some  cause  or  other,  these  troops  had  been 
transferred  to  the  frigate  "  Sabine,"  and  the  com- 
mander of  the  "  Sabine  "  said  he  should  not  land  his 
troops  in  Fort  Pickens,  because  it  was  contrary  to 
the  armistice  of  ex-President  Buchanan.  A  good 
deal  of  time  had  been  consumed  in  sending  this 
order,  and  it  took  as  much  more  for  the  President's 
messenger  to  return  to  him  and  tell  him  that  the 
commander  of  the  "  Sabine"  refused  to  obey  orders. 

Here  was  a  dilemma  for  the  President  worse  than 
the  first;  however,  he  was  equal  to  it.  He  had  not 
been  idle  while  his  messenger  was  gone  to  Fort 
Pickens,  but  had  been  preparing  an  expedition  con- 
sisting of  several  vessels,  with  men,  arms,  ammuni- 
tion, and  provisions,  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Pickens  if 
necessary,  and  also  to  stop  by  the  way  and  throw 
supplies  into  Fort  Sumter.     The  President   ordered 


Major'  Anderson  refuses  to  Surrender.       139 

this  expedition  to  sail  at  once,  and  also  despatched 
another  order  to  the  commander  of  the  "  Sabine," 
and  Fort  Pickens  was  at  length  amply  reinforced. 
Governor  Pickens  of  South  Carolina  was  now  in- 
formed that  provisions  would  be  sent  to  Fort  Sum- 
ter,—  peaceably  if  possible,  but  otherwise  by  force. 
At  all  events,  the  garrison  was  to  be  provisioned. 

Upon  this,  General  Beauregard,  who  commanded 
the  Rebel  forces  at  Charleston,  was  ordered  to  de- 
mand the  instant  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter.  Major 
Anderson  refused  to  comply  with  this  insolent  demand. 
Beauregard,  who  knew  that  the  garrison  was  nearly 
starved  out,  now  asked  the  Major  when  he  would  evac- 
uate the  fort,  at  the  same  time  telling  him  that  if  he 
would  promise  not  to  use  his  guns  against  the  Rebels 
unless  they  first  opened  fire  upon  him,  they  would  not 
fire  upon  Fort  Sumter.  Major  Anderson  replied  to 
this  that  he  would  evacuate  the  fort  by  noon  of  the 
15th,  unless  before  that  time  he  should  receive  supplies 
or  instructions  from  his  Government.  But  it  did  not 
suit  the  Rebels  to  wait  so  long  as  this ;  because  they 
knew  that  supplies  were  on  the  way  to  the  Major, 
although  the  Major  himself  did  not  know  anything 
about  it.  So  the  Rebels  sent  an  instant  reply  that 
they  should  open  their  batteries  upon  the  fort  within 
one  hour,  unless  the  Major  surrendered. 

The  South  Carolinians  had  been  engaged  for  about 


140     TJie  CJiildren's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

three  months  in  erecting  batteries  around  this  fort, 
and  strengthening  those  already  there,  until  it  was 
threatened  by  a  line  of  fortifications  extending  around 
three  quarters  of  a  circle.  All  this  had  been  going 
on  under  the  Major's  eyes;  but  he  was  powerless  to 
stop  it;  he  had  done  the  best  he  could,  however,  to 
strengthen  himself  within  his  own  fort,  for  he  expected 
an  attack  sooner  or  later  from  the  Rebels.  The  fort 
was  in  an  unfinished  condition,  and  but  very  few  of 
the  guns  were  in  position  when  he  took  possession  of 
it.  He  had  been  able  to  mount  only  fifty-two  in  all, 
and  but  few  of  these  were  his  heaviest  pieces ;  while 
those  of  the  enemy  were,  many  of  them,  of  very 
heavy  calibre.  Thus  the  brave  Major  was  in  a  poor 
condition  to  sustain  a  siege. 

The  Rebel  batteries  began  the  bombardment  on 
Friday,  the  12th  of  April,  at  half-past  four  o 'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  Major  took  it  with  the  utmost 
coolness,  and  made  every  preparation  for  the  safety 
of  his  men,  before  he  allowed  any  return  fire  to  be 
made.  He  ordered  all  the  sentinels  to  leave  their 
posts  on  the  parapets,  closed  the  posterns,  sent  word 
to  the  men  on  no  account  to  leave  the  bomb-proofs 
until  the  drum  should  summon  them,  then  defiantly 
ran  up  the  glorious  old  stars  and  stripes,  and  left  the 
enemy  to  bang  away,  while  he  made  preparations  for 
breakfast.     At  half-past  six  the  garrison  all  partook 


Fort  Sumter  Fired  upon.  141 

of  this  meal  as  leisurely  as  though  nothing  unusual 
was  the  matter.  After  breakfast  Major  Anderson 
divided  his  men  into  three  reliefs ;  each  relief  was  to 
work  four  hours  at  a  time  at  the  different  batteries. 
All  this  time  the  Rebels  had  been  pouring  shot  and 
shells  into  the  fort. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  garrison  was  ready  to  reply. 
The  first  relief  took  its  station  at  the  guns,  and  opened 
upon  Cummings'  Point  battery,  Fort  Moultrie,  and 
Sullivan's  Island.  Captain  Doubleday,  who  was  one 
of  the  commanders  of  this  relief,  had  the  honor  of 
firing  the  first  gun.  During  the  first  four  hours  the 
firing  was  kept  up  with  such  rapidity  that  the  Rebels 
thought  the  fort  must  have  been  secretly  reinforced. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  men  was  so  great  that  Major 
Anderson  could  not  restrain  them.  The  second  and 
third  reliefs  could  not  be  kept  from  the  guns,  and 
even  the  common  laborers,  who  were  not  soldiers  at 
all,  would  come  and  help ;  so  that,  in  fact,  everybody 
in  the  fort  was  at  work. 

By  and  by  one  of  the  guns  was  thought  to  be  in  so 
dangerous  a  position  that  Major  Anderson  ordered 
everybody  away  from  it,  and  said  it  must  not  be  fired 
any  more.  Pretty  soon  one  of  the  ofificers  heard  this 
very  gun  go  bang !  He  went  to  it,  and  what  do  you 
think  he  saw?  —  a  party  of  the  common  laborers  serv- 
ing it,  with  not  a  single  soldier  to  help  them.     "  What 


142      TJie  CJiildrois  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


are  you  doing  with  that  gun?  "  said  the  officer.  "  Oh, 
sir,"  repHed  one  of  them,  who  could  hardly  speak 
for  the  tears  of  joy  whicli  choked  him,  "  we  hit  the 
battery  right  in  the  centred 

Thus  these  brave  fellows  worked.  Meanwhile  the 
scene  within  the  fort  became  terrific.  Heavy  splinters 
of  wood  and  iron  were  flying  in  every  direction ;  red- 
hot  shot  came  pouring  in,  setting  the  wood-work  on 
fire  and  blinding  and  suffocating  the  men  with  the 
smoke;  thirty-two  pounders  tore  up  the  ground  at 
their  feet,  covering  them  with  mud  and  earth;  and 
by  and  by  an  immense  ninety-six  pounder  came 
bursting  in  just  above  the  magazine. 

On  Friday,  while  the  fire  was  at  its  hottest,  some- 
body looking  through  the  port-holes  descried  the 
vessels  in  our  fleet,  which  the  President  had  sent. 
Our  ships  were  off  the  bar  and  dipped  their  flag. 
Major  Anderson  immediately  ordered  Fort  Sumter's 
flag  to  be  dipped  in  return ;  his  order  was  obeyed  by 
some  of  our  brave  fellows,  amid  the  bursting  of  shells 
in  every  direction. 

About  noon,  on  Friday,  it  was  discovered  that  all 
the  cartridges  were  used  up  !  Thereupon  the  men 
stripped  off  their  shirt-sleeves,  tore  up  their  sheets 
and  blankets,  and  a  party  of  five  shut  themselves  up 
in  the  magazine  and  began  to  sew  for  dear  life,  mak- 
ing cartridges  ;  and  at  it  they  kept  until  every  avail- 


Fort  Sumter  Stirrenders.  143 

able  piece  of  cloth  in  the  fort  had  been  used.  At 
last  Major  Anderson,  fearing  that  the  magazine  would 
be  entirely  surrounded  with  flames,  set  the  men  to 
work  taking  out  the  powder.  They  rolled  out  ninety- 
six  barrels  throngJi  the  ragijig  fire,  at  the  peril  of  their 
lives.  When  it  became  so  hot  that  they  could  not 
get  any  more,  they  locked  the  doors  of  the  magazine. 
All  the  wood-work  within  the  fort  now  burned  so 
rapidly  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  put  it  out,  and 
the  danger  became  so  great  that  all  this  powder  had 
to  be  thrown  into  the  sea,  except  three  barrels,  which 
the  men  managed  to  protect  with  wet  mattresses. 

The  smoke  was  now  so  thick  that  the  men  could 
not  see  one  another,  and  they  were  obliged  to  cover 
their  mouths  with  wet  cloths  and  throw  themselves 
on  the  ground,  face  downward,  in  order  to  breathe. 
They  had  nothing  to  eat  but  salt  pork,  which  was 
served  to  them  at  the  guns.  Thus  these  brave  men 
fought  on  for  thirty-four  Jionrs.  At  length  the  flag- 
staff was  shot  away.  One  of  the  officers  rushed  boldly 
out  and  brought  away  the  flag ;  but  the  halliards  were 
so  tangled  that  it  was  impossible  to  right  it;  so  they 
nailed  the  flag  to  the  staff,  and  planted  it  on  the  ram- 
parts. About  this  time  General  Wigfall  came  up  to 
one  of  the  embrasures,  with  his  handkerchief  tied  to 
his  sword  for  a  flag  of  truce,  and  in  the  name  of  Gen- 
eral Beauregard  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  fort. 


144      1^1^^  CJiildrciis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Major  Anderson,  thinking  it  would  be  madness  to 
remain  any  longer,  acceded  to  Beauregard's  demands, 
and  marched  out  of  the  fort  on  Sunday  afternoon, 
with  colors  flying  and  drums  beating,  bringing  away 
all  company  and  private  property,  a9id  saluting  the 
dea)'  old  flag  iv  it  J i  fifty  guns.  The  men  spent  Sunday 
morning  in  making  cartridges  with  which  to  fire  the 
salute.  When  the  last  gun  was  fired  the  flag  was 
lowered ;  but  some  of  its  brave  defenders  lived  to 
see  it  raised  again.  At  the  firing  of  the  last  gun 
an  accident  happened,  by  which  one  man  was  killed 
and  several  were  wounded.  This  was  the  only  death 
that  occurred,  on  our  side,  during  the  whole  bom- 
bardment, although  several  were  wounded  at  difl'er- 
ent  times  within  the  fort.  The  Rebels  also  have 
al\va}'s  positively  declared  that  no  death  occurred  on 
their  side  during  this  engagement ;  but  this  statement 
has  been  doubted. 

The  South  Carolinians  and  the  South  generally  felt 
very  proud  that  they  had  been  able  to  compel  the 
surrender  of  so  strong  a  fortress  as  Fort  Sumter. 
They  thought  they  were  now  in  a  fine  condition  to 
carry  on  war,  if  necessary,  against  the  North ;  but 
they  did  not  believe  the  North  would  ever  fight.  The 
Northern  people  had  borne  so  much  from  them  al- 
ready, and  allowed  Mr.  Buchanan  to  help  them  so 
much,  without  even  remonstrating  against  it,  that  the 


Wojcld  the  North  Fight?  145 

Rebels  concluded  the  North  were  such  lovers  of  peace 
that  they  would  permit  them  to  steal  all  the  forts  and 
everything  else  they  wanted,  and  go  out  of  the  Union 
unmolested,  rather  than  have  any  bloodshed. 

They  did  not  quite  understand  President  Lincoln: 
they  thought  it  was  barely  possible,  if  they  were  too 
saucy,  that  he  might  declare  war;  but  they  called 
him  a  coward,  and  looked  upon  him  as  a  nobody,  who 
was  no  match  for  their  consummate  skill  and  talent. 
They  thought,  moreover,  that  if  President  Lincoln 
should  have  the  audacity  to  advise  war,  it  would  split 
the  North  in  two,  and  about  half  would  go  over  to 
their  side,  and  thus  they  would  become  invincible. 
So,  after  the  capture  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  after  the 
stars  and  stripes  had  been  pulled  down  from  that 
fortress,  and  the  Confederate  and  Palmetto  flags  had 
been  hoisted  in  their  stead.  Governor  Pickens  shame- 
lessly boasted  to  the  people  of  the  South  that  these 
flags  should  never  be  lowered  from  Fort  Sumter, 
unless  they  were  lowered  and  trailed  in  a  sea  of  blood. 
He  said:  — 

"  It  is  the  first  time  that  the  stars  and  stripes  have  been 
humbled.  They  have  triumphed  for  seventy  years,  but  to- 
day they  have  been  humbled,  and  humbled  before  the  glori- 
ous little  State  of  South  Carolina  ;  and  I  pronounce  here, 
before  the  civilized  world,  your  independence  is  baptized  in 
blood,  your  independence  is  won  upon  a  glorious  battlefield, 

10 


146     The   CJiildren's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

and  you  are  free  now  and  forever,  in  defiance  of  a  world  in 
arms." 

This  is  the  way  that  Governor  Pickens  tried  to 
render  himself  and  his  State  immortal,  —  a  kind  of  im- 
mortality one  would  think  that  he  would  now  be  very 
glad  to  part  with.  The  Rebel  Secretary  of  War,  Mr. 
Walker,  said  at  Montgomery,  that  while  no  one  could 
tell  where  the  war  would  end,  he  would  prophesy  that 
the  Confederate  flag  would  float  over  the  dome  of  the 
old  Capitol  at  Washington  before  the  ist  of  May,  and 
that  it  might  eventually  float  over  Faneuil  Hall  itself. 
The  Rebels  had  certainly  made  the  boldest  and  most 
extraordinary  preparations  for  executing  their  threats. 
Previous  to  the  capture  of  Fort  Sumter,  they  had 
stolen  all  the  arsenals,  dockyards,  custom-houses,  and 
forts,  and  all  the  property  in  and  about  them,  —  both 
that  which  they  could  carry  off,  and  that  which  was 
stationary  in  all  the  seceded  States,  except  Fort  Pick- 
ens, opposite  Pensacola,  on  Santa  Rosa  Island,  Fort 
Taylor,  at  Key  West,  and  Fort  Jefiferson,  at  the  Dry 
Tortugas.  They  had  garrisoned  and  strengthened  all 
these  forts,  and  had  built  some  new  ones  besides,  and 
were  also  preparing  to  besiege  those  which  they  had 
not  yet  taken  possession  of. 

You  already  know  that  Mr.  Floyd  had  stripped  the 
North  of  its  firearms.  Other  members  of  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan's Cabinet  had  also  done  their  part  in  aiding 


Traitors.  147 


the  Rebels.  Mr.  Toucey,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  had 
despatched  all.the  war  vessels  to  foreign  countries  and 
distant  seas,  so  that  in  case  of  rebellion  our  Govern- 
ment would  have  no  ships  at  hand  for  service.  Mr. 
Cobb,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  had  aided  the  treason 
with  money  from  the  public  funds. 

Since  the  Rebel  Government  had  organized,  it  had 
borrowed  eight  millions  of  dollars,  had  called  into  the 
field  at  the  South,  a  force  of  nineteen  thousand  men, 
and  as  soon  as  Virginia  should  give  notice  that  she 
intended  to  join  the  Confederacy,  sixteen  thousand 
more  were  ready  to  march  to  her  borders.  Efforts 
were  also  in  progress  to  create  a  navy. 

Now,  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  know  just  how 
wicked  these  Rebels  were.  There  were  thousands  of 
honest  men  in  the  South,  but  these  men  were  trai- 
tors. They  were  planning  to  destroy  the  Government 
of  the  United  States,  and  they  openly  boasted  that  they 
had  been  making  preparations  to  do  this  for  many 
years.  They  intended  to  put  everybody  out  of  power 
whom  the  people  had  chosen,  and  place  themselves  in 
authority,  and  make  such  laws  as  suited  them,  instead 
of  those  that  pleased  the  people.  For  thirty  years 
they  had  been  drilling  their  young  men  for  soldiers, 
and  making  all  sorts  of  arrangements  to  effect  these 
things ;  but  they  had  never  been  very  bold  about 
their  plans  until  Mr.  Buchanan  was  President,  for  there 


148      TJic  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

had  never  before  been  a  President  that  would  have 
allowed  them  to  carry  out  their  designs.  But  as  he 
and  two  thirds  of  his  Cabinet  had  helped  them  all 
they  could,  the  Rebels,  by  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln  took 
his  seat  were  in  a  condition  to  assume  a  warlike 
attitude  toward  the  United  States. 

These  forts  and  other  property  at  the  South,  which 
the  Rebels  had  taken  possession  of,  did  not  belong 
to  the  several  States  in  which  they  were  situated,  but 
were  the  propert}'  of  the  whole  United  States,  and 
were  built  at  the  expense  of  all  the  people  in  the 
United  States.  Fort  Sumter  alone  cost  a  million  of 
dollars.  So  you  see,  with  all  their  other  sins,  what 
horrible  thieves  they  were. 

But  President  Lincoln  and  a  great  portion  of  the 
Northern  people  thought  these  forts  could  be  quietly 
retaken  after  a  while.  Thev  did  not  dream  that  the 
South  would  do  such  an  unheard-of  and  barbarous 
thing  as  to  shed  the  blood  of  Union  soldiers  with- 
out any  provocation  whatever.  When  the  telegraph 
with  its  thousand  tongues  proclaimed  the  shocking, 
shameful  story  that  a  little  band  of  brave,  half-starved 
Union  soldiers  had  been  fired  upon  for  refusing  to 
deliver  up  their  fort  to  these  robbers,  because  the 
President  was  going  to  send  them  something  to  eat, 
no  pen  can  describe  what  a  feeling  of  horror  and  of 
holy  indignation  was  aroused  in  every  Union  breast. 


"War,    War/"  149 


All  of  you  children  who  are  old  enough  to  read 
this  book  have  doubtless  heard  your  fathers  and 
mothers  describe  those  times.  "  War,  war !  '"  was  the 
cr)  which  rose  to  every  loyal  lip,  from  women  as  well 
as  men.  The  South  meant  to  divide  the  North;  they 
could  not  have  done  anything  to  bind  it  more  firmly 
together.  That  Union  blood  shed  at  Fort  Sumter, 
which  Governor  Pickens  so  shamelessly  boasted  had 
baptized  the  independence  of  South  Carolina,  had 
instead  cemented  all  the  Union-loving  hearts  in  these 
United  States  into  one  heart  and  o;ie  soul,  and  roused 
in  them  one  glorious,  mighty  determination  to  put 
down,  at  whatever  cost,  such  an  unholv  rebellion. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


President  Lincoln  calls  for  Troops.  —  Enthusiasm  at  the  North. 
—  Virginia  secedes.  —  Letters  of  Marque.  —  Blockade. — 
President  Lincoln  improvises  a  Navy.  —  Calls  for  more 
Troops. 


N  Monday,  the  next  day  after  the  evacu- 
ation of  Fort  Sumter,  President  Lincohi 
issued  a  proclamation,  part  of  which  is 
given  below: 

PROCLAMATION 

By  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

Whereas  the  laws  of  the  United  States  have  been  for  some 
time  past,  and  now  are,  opposed,  and  the  execution  thereof 
obstructed,  in  the  States  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Texas,  by  combi- 
nations too  powerful  to  be  suppressed  by  the  ordinary  course 
of  judicial  proceedings,  or  by  the  powers  vested  in  the  mar- 
shal by  law  :  now,  therefore,  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President 
of  the  United  States,  in  virtue  of  the  power  in  me  vested  by 
the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  have  thought  fit  to  call  forth, 
and  hereby  do  call  forth,  the  militia  of  the  several  States  of 
the  Union,  to  the  aggregate  number  of  seventy-five  thousand, 


TJic  First  Call  for  Troops.  1 5 1 

in  order  to  suppress  said  combinations,  and  to  cause  the 
laws  to  be  duly  executed.  The  details  for  this  object  will  be 
immediately  communicated  to  the  State  authorities,  through 
the  War  Department. 

I  appeal  to  all  loyal  citizens  to  favor,  facilitate,  and  aid 
this  effort  to  maintain  the  honor,  the  integrity,  and  existence 
of  the  National  Union  and  the  perpetuity  of  popular  govern- 
ment, and  to  redress  wrongs  already  long  enough  endured. 
I  deem  it  proper  to  say  that  the  first  service  assigned  to  the 
forces  hereby  called  forth  will  probably  be  to  repossess  the 
forts,  places,  and  property  which  have  been  seized  from 
the  Union ;  and  in  every  event  the  utmost  care  will  be  ob- 
served, consistently  with  the  objects  aforesaid,  to  avoid  any 
devastation,  any  destruction  of,  or  any  interference  with,  prop- 
erty, or  any  disturbance  of  peaceful  citizens  of  any  part  of 
the  country  ;  and  I  hereby  command  the  persons  composing 
the  combinations  aforesaid  to  disperse  and  retire  peace- 
ably to  their  respective  abodes,  within  twenty  days  from  this 
date. 

You  will  notice  how  mildly  yet  firmly  Mr.  Lincoln 
talk.s.  If  the  President  had  been  obeyed  and  allowed 
quietly  to  retake  the  Government  property,  even  the 
unprovoked  assault  upon  Fort  Sumter  would  have 
been  forgiven,  and  there  would  have  been  no  war. 
But  the  Rebels  laughed  this  proclamation  to  scorn. 
Instead  of  going  to  their  homes,  they  began  to  make 
every  preparation  to  seize  upon  Washington. 

At  the  North,  however,  the  President's  proclama- 


152      TJie  Cldldren's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

tion  created  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Almost  every- 
body was  ready  to  respond  to  his  call  for  troops. 
Ministers  left  their  pulpits,  doctors  their  patients, 
lawyers  their  clients,  merchants  their  counters,  me- 
chanics their  workshops,  and  farmers  their  fields. 
Students  who  were  mere  boys  left  their  schools  and 
colleges,  and  even  some  girls  disguised  themselves  as 
boys  and  enlisted.  Noble  women  went  into  hospitals 
as  nurses.  Massachusetts  —  to  her  everlasting  honor 
be  it  spoken  —  was  the  first  in  the  field.  The  glo- 
rious Massachusetts  Sixth  left  Boston,  completely 
equipped,  for  the  national  capital,  on  the  next  day 
after  the  proclamation  was  issued.  In  less  than  two 
days,  two  more  regiments  were  on  the  way,  and  regi- 
ment after  regiment,  from  all  the  Northern  States, 
made  all  possible  haste  to  answer  the  President's  call. 
War-meetings  were  held  in  every  village,  and  men  and 
money  without  stint  were  offered  to  the  Government. 

The  Massachusetts  Sixth  passed  through  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  on  the  19th  of  April,  where  they  were  at- 
tacked by  an  armed  secession  mob ;  several  of  the 
soldiers  were  killed,  and  others  severely  wounded. 
It  raised  the  indignation  and  excitement  of  the  North 
to  the  highest  pitch  to  learn  that  soldiers,  on  their 
way  to  protect  the  national  capital,  had  been  assailed 
and  murdered  in  a  State  that  professed  to  be  loyal. 

On  the   other  hand,  the  South  were   in   an   equal 


Virginia  Secedes. 


153 


state  of  excitement.  The  seceded  States  were  very- 
anxious  that  Virginia  should  join  them.  The  State 
convention  was  in  session  at  this  time,  but  she  had 
not  decided  whether  she  should 
remain  in  the  Union  or  not,  until 
the  President  issued  his  procla- 
mation calling  for  troops  ;  then 
she  immediately  passed  an  ordi- 
nance of  secession.  A  portion 
of  the  Virginians,  how- 
ever, who  were  loyal, 
would  not  agree  to 
this,  and  formed  a 
separate  government, 
which  President  Lin- 
coln recognized ;  for 
he  thought  the  loyal 
people  in  Virginia  ought  to 
constitute  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia. But  Jefferson  Davis 
claimed  the  State  as  his,  and 
removed  the  seat  of  govern- 

ment  from  Montgomery,  Alabama,  to  Richmond, 
Virginia.  He  wanted  to  be  nearer  the  North ;  for 
he  declared  his  intention  to  push  the  war  into  the 
North,  and  said  that  whenever  the  war  should  open, 
the  North,  and  not  the  South,  should  be  the  field 
of  battle. 


OFF    TO    THE    WAR. 


154      ^^'■^  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

But  his  first  object  was  to  take  Washington.  For 
this  purpose,  very  soon  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter, 
all  roads  and  avenues  leading  to  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton were  obstructed.  The  mails  in  every  direction 
were  stopped,  and  all  the  telegraph  wires  leading  into 
the  city  were  cut.  The  Potomac  River  was  block- 
aded, and  for  several  days  the  forces  which  the  Presi- 
dent had  called  out  for  the  protection  of  the  city  of 
Washington  were  unable  to  pass  through  Maryland. 
Railroads  were  torn  up,  bridges  burned,  and  Union 
soldiers  killed. 

Jefferson  Davis  now  rapidly  pushed  an  army  into 
Virginia,  and  very  soon  twenty  thousand  men  were 
on  her  soil.  He  also  issued  a  proclamation  offering 
letters  of  marque  to  all  persons  who  wished  to  help 
the  Rebels  and  enrich  themselves  by  plundering  and 
destroying  the  ships  of  the  United  States.  A  letter 
of  marque  is  a  commission,  or  license,  which  a  sover- 
eign or  the  ruler  of  a  nation  grants  to  a  subject  to 
prey  upon  the  ships  of  another  nation  with  whom  he 
is  at  war.  But  Jefferson  Davis  was  not  a  sovereign, 
nor  the  ruler  of  a  nation  ;  he  was  only  a  rebel  in  arms 
against  his  own  nation,  and  had  no  more  right  to  grant 
letters  of  marque  than  either  you  or  I  have,  and  all 
who  accepted  them  made  themselves  pirates. 

In  order  to  prevent  such  proceedings.  President 
Lincoln,  on  the  19th  of  April,  issued  a  proclamation 


Southern  Ports  Blockaded.  155 


saying  that  a  competent  force  would  be  posted  to  pre- 
vent any  vessel  from  entering  or  leaving  any  of  the 
Rebel  ports.  This  was  called  the  blockade;  and  the 
President  declared  that  anybody  who  should,  under 
the  authority  of  these  pretended  letters  of  marque, 
molest  a  vessel  of  the  United  States,  or  the  persons 
and  cargo  on  board  of  her,  should  be  treated  as  a 
pirate. 

The  next  day  after  issuing  this  proclamation  the 
President  called  all  his  Cabinet  together  at  the  office 
of  the  Navy  Department,  and  held  a  grand  council 
with  them  to  see  what  was  best  to  be  done  in  such  an 
extraordinary  state  of  affairs.  Congress  had  ad- 
journed, and  there  was  not  time  to  call  an  extra 
session.  Something  must  be  done  at  once.  The 
President  therefore  told  these  gentlemen,  who  consti- 
tuted his  official  family,  that  it  was  for  him  to  choose 
whether,  in  the  absence  of  Congress  to  devise  meas- 
ures for  the  public  safety,  he  should  sit  still  and  let 
the  Government  go  to  ruin,  or  avail  himself  of  the 
broader  powers  which  the  Constitution  confers  upon 
the  President  in  time  of  an  insurrection,  and  try  to 
save  it.  They  all  concluded  that,  come  what  would, 
the  country  must  be  saved. 

At  the  time  a  great  many  persons  —  and  some  of 
them  were  very  good  Union  men,  too  —  thought  the 
President  exceeded  his  power,  and  did  things  which 


156      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


he  had  no  right  to  do.  But  whoever  calmly  and  can- 
didly reviews  his  whole  course,  from  first  to  last,  will 
probably  say  that  in  reality  he  was  the  wisest  man  in 
the  whole  country;  and  that  if  he  had  not  taken  just 
the  very  course  he  did  take  in  the  month  of  April, 
1861,  our  nation  would  have  been  spht  into  a  thou- 
sand fragments,  and  to-day  we  should  be  without  a 
name  or  a  country. 

Some  Cahfornia  treasure-ships  were  daily  expected, 
and  it  was  feared  that  the  Rebels  intended  to  rob  them 
of  their  gold  ;  so  the  President  immediately  despatched 
an  armed  revenue  cutter  to  sea  for  their  protection. 
He  had  no  ships  of  war  at  hand,  as  you  already  know ; 
Mr,  Toucey  had  scattered  them  in  every  direction. 
The  President  therefore  ordered  the  commandants  of 
the  navy-yards  at  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  New 
York,  each  to  purchase  or  charter  and  arm  five  steam- 
ships as  quickly  as  possible  for  the  public  defence. 
This  would  give  him  fifteen  vessels  to  begin  with. 
He  also  directed  other  parties  to  purchase  and  arm 
four  more  vessels,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  the 
passages  by  water  to  and  from  the  capital. 

At  that  time  there  were  a  great  many  traitors  in  all 
the  departments  of  the  Government,  and  it  was  im- 
possible for  the  President  to  tell  who  could  be  trusted. 
But  that  he  might  not  be  foiled  in  his  plans,  he  di- 
rected that  certain  private  gentlemen,  of  whose  loyalty 


The  Second  Call  for   Troops.  157 

there  could  be  no  doubt,  should  assist  in  carrying 
them  into  effect;  and  in  order  that  his  directions 
might  reach  these  persons  in  safety,  the  President 
sent  trusty  messengers,  who  took  a  very  roundabout 
way  to  reach  their  destinations,  going  from  Washing- 
ton across  the  States  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  to 
the  Northern  lakes,  and  thence  to  the  sea-coast. 

On  the  day  of  this  famous  Cabinet  meeting  that  we 
have  spoken  of,  the  President  directed  that  all  the 
telegraph  despatches  which  had  accumulated  in  all 
the  various  offices  during  the  preceding  year  should 
be  seized,  to  see  if  they  would  throw  any  light  upon 
the  plans  of  the  Rebels.  About  this  time  the  Rebels 
stole  the  arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  the  navy-yard 
at  Gosport. 

Washington  was  now  a  camp.  It  was  filled  with 
soldiers,  and  every  preparation  was  being  made  to 
defend  it  from  attack.  But  the  President  soon  found 
that  there  was  a  great  deal  else  to  be  done  besides 
protecting  Washington,  and  that  the  number  of  troops 
he  had  called  out  was  by  no  means  large  enough  to 
suppress  the  Rebellion.  Most  of  the  men  who  so 
nobly  and  promptly  had  answered  the  President's  call 
expected  to  serve  only  three  months,  and  had  hastily 
left  their  business,  intending  to  return  to  it  at  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time ;  for  at  first  the  President  and 
most  of  the  loyal  people  had  thought  the  Rebellion 


158      The  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

would   be  crushed   in  less  than  that  time.     But  they 
soon  perceived  their  mistake. 

The  President,  beginning  at  length  to  see  how  des- 
perate the  Rebels  were,  resolved  to  call  out  a  large 
body  of  troops  to  serve  for  three  years,  if  the  war 
should  last  so  long,  that  he  might  not  be  crippled  and 
destitute  of  help  when  the  time  came  for  the  "  ninety- 
days  "  men  to  go  home.  So  on  the  3d  of  May  he 
issued  another  proclamation,  calling  for  42,034  volun- 
teers for  three  years,  and  ordering  an  addition  of 
22,114  ofificers  and  men  to  the  regular  army,  and 
18,000  seamen  to  the  navy. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Secession  Sympathizers.  —  Suspension  of  tlie  Writ  of  Habeas 
Corpus.  —  Recognition  of  the  Rebels  as  Belligerents  by 
Foreign  Powers. 


OW,  my  children, 
I  must  tell  you  of 
another  trouble 
the  President  had 
to  contend  with. 
Although  the  ma- 
jority of  the  peo- 
ple of  all  parties  in 
all  the  non-slave- 
holding  States,  as 
well  as  a  good 
many  in  the  slave- 
holding  States  themselves,  were  loyal  and  responded 
most  bravely  and  generously  to  the  calls  of  the  Presi- 
dent, and  resolved  to  send  the  last  man  and  spend 
the  last  dollar,  if  need  be,  in  aiding  him  to  crush 
the  Rebellion,  —  still  there  were  also  many  persons 


i6o     The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

scattered  over  the  country,  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
North  even,  who  were  traitors  in  their  hearts,  and, 
without  exactly  joining  the  Rebels,  aided  them  se- 
cretly in  various  ways,  and  sometimes  quite  openly. 

The  Rebels  knew  all  about  this ;  and  that  was  one 
of  the  things  that  made  them  so  bold.  They  thought 
that  even  if  no  portion  of  the  North  actually  went 
over  to  their  side,  they  should  nevertheless  get  a  great 
deal  of  help  from  the  North  by  means  of  these  Rebel 
sympathizers.  These  persons  were  a  great  deal  more 
dangerous  and  harder  to  contend  with  than  the  Rebels 
themselves.  They  were  snakes  in  the  grass ;  you 
could  not  see  them,  but  could  feel  their  bite.  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  soon  found  out  that  these  persons  were 
likely  to  cause  him  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 

There  were  a  great  many  traitors  among  the  officers 
of  the  army  and  navy,  although  the  President  said,  in 
his  first  message  to  Congress,  that  not  one  of  the 
common  soldiers  or  sailors  had  been  known  to  desert 
their  country  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out.  It  was 
very  hard  for  the  President  that  traitors  still  held  im- 
portant offices  under  the  government.  Some  persons 
who  held  high  civil  offices  were  just  as  bad  as  the 
army  and  navy  officers.  You  already  know  what  dif- 
ficulties the  President  encountered  in  passing  troops 
through  Maryland.  The  Government  of  the  State 
and  a  majority  of  the  people  professed  to  be  loyal ; 


Rebel  Syjnpathiaers.  i6i 

but  there  was  a  big  nest  of  secession  in  Baltimore,  and 
these  Rebels  determined  that  no  troops  should  pass 
through  that  city  or  any  part  of  the  State,  if  they 
could  prevent  it.  The  President  told  the  Mayor  of 
the  city  that  he  would  not  march  any  more  troops 
through  Baltimore,  if  he  could  avoid  it,  but  that  they 
must  pass  through  some  portion  of  the  State,  or  the 
capital  must  be  abandoned ;  for  he  could  not  send 
troops  safely  by  water. 

Soon  after  this  some  secession  sympathizers  went  to 
see  the  President,  and  told  him  they  thought  there 
ought  to  be  a  cessation  of  hostilities  until  Congress 
should  assemble ;  they  also  told  him  that  if  any  more 
troops  should  be  marched  through  Maryland,  seventy- 
five  thousand  persons  would  contest  their  passage. 
President  Lincoln  very  quietly  replied  to  these  fellows 
that  there  would  be  no  cessation  of  hostilities  until 
the  Rebellion  was  crushed,  and  he  presumed  there 
was  room  enough  on  the  soil  of  Maryland  to  bury 
seventy-five  thousand  men. 

In  order  to  prevent  in  some  degree  the  mischief 

which  Rebel  sympathizers  were  doing  by  giving  the 

enemy  aid  and  comfort,  the  President  was  obliged  to 

resort  to  a  measure  which  created  a  great  excitement 

among  his  enemies,  as  well  as  among  some  of  his 

friends.     This  measure  was  called  "  the  suspension  of 

the  writ  of  habeas  corpus." 

II 


1 62      The  Childrejis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Habeas  corpus  are  two  Latin  words  meaning  "  You 
may  have  the  body;  "  and  the  intention  of  the  writ  is 
to  deliver  a  person  who  has  been  falsely  imprisoned. 
Thus,  when  any  one  thinks  he  has  been  imprisoned 
from  some  unjust  cause  or  upon  false  accusation,  he 
appeals  to  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  This  writ  com- 
mands the  sheriff,  or  any  one  else  to  whom  it  may  be 
directed,  to  have  the  body  of  the  person  who  has 
been  deprived  of  his  liberty  immediately  before  some 
competent  tribunal.  The  person  who  restrained  the 
said  prisoner  must  also  be  present,  and  he  must  bring 
with  him  the  cause  of  the  restraint,  that  all  parties 
may  be  then  and  there  lawfully  judged. 

This  Act  was  originally  passed  in  England  to  pre- 
vent the  king  from  becoming  a  despot,  and  unlawfully 
imprisoning  his  subjects ;  and  it  was  regarded  so  val- 
uable by  those  persons  who  made  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  that  they  said  it  should  never  be 
suspended,  "  unless  when,  in  case  of  rebellion  or  inva- 
sion, the  public  safety  may  require  it."  Mr.  Lincoln 
thought  the  time  had  come  when  the  public  safety  did 
require  it,  and  he  thought  the  Constitution  gave  him  a 
right  to  suspend  it ;  accordingly  he  suspended  it  when- 
ever he  thought  proper.  Many  persons  called  him  a 
despot,  and  said  we  should  yet  lose  all  our  freedom, 
and  the  days  of  terror  would  come  here,  as  they  came 
in  France  in  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution. 


Writ  of  Habeas  Corpus.  163 

Let  us  see  now  who  the  persons  were  that  Mr.  Lin- 
cohi  deprived  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  In  the 
early  part  of  May,  the  President,  who  knew  that  the 
small  portion  of  Florida  which  we  still  held  in  our 
possession  was  infested  with  traitors,  directed  the 
commander  of  our  forces  in  that  region  to  remove 
everybody  from  the  United  States  forts  that  he  sus- 
pected or  considered  dangerous,  and  to  allow  nobody 
to  exercise  any  authority  which  was  inconsistent  with 
the  authority  of  the  United  States ;  he  also  authorized 
him  to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  if  he  should 
find  it  necessary.  That  is,  if  the  commander  thought 
the  public  safety  required  that  a  man  should  be  im- 
prisoned, he  could  not  be  released  until  President 
Lincoln  himself  thought  proper  to  give  him  up.  Mr. 
Lincoln  said:  "You  may  7iot  have  the  body  until  I 
think  proper  to  deliver  up  the  man." 

A  few  days  after  this,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Merry- 
man,  who  lived  in  Maryland  and  was  known  to  be  a 
Rebel  sympathizer,  was  arrested  and  imprisoned  in 
Fort  McHenry.  The  commander  of  this  fort  was  Gen- 
eral Cadwallader.  On  the  day  of  his  arrest  Mr.  Merry- 
man  sent  a  petition  to  Chief-Justice  Taney,  begging 
him  to  issue  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  The  Chief- 
Justice  immediately  complied  with  this  request,  and 
commanded  General  Cadwallader  to  bring  the  body 
of  Merryman  before  him  on  the  27th  of  that  month. 


164     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincobi. 

General  Cadvvallader  sent  word  to  the  Chief-Justice 
that  Mr.  Merry  man  had  been  placed  in  his  keeping 
by  officers  acting  under  the  authority  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  said  Merryman  had  been  charged 
with  various  acts  of  treason.  He  was  lieutenant  of  a 
band  of  armed  Rebels,  and  had  been  heard  frequently 
to  say  that  he  was  willing  to  help  anybody  who  was 
engaged  in  rebellion  against  the  United  States.  Gen- 
eral Cadwallader  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  been 
duly  authorized  by  the  President  to  suspend  the  writ 
of  habeas  corpus  whenever  the  public  safety  required 
it.  He  said  he  knew  it  was  a  very  delicate  trust;  but 
the  President  had  also  instructed  him  that  if  mistakes 
were  made  in  time  of  civil  war,  they  should  be  made 
on  the  side  of  safety  to  the  country ;  and  consequently 
he  should  decline  to  obey  the  writ. 

Upon  that  the  Chief-Justice  issued  an  attachment 
against  General  Cadwallader  for  contempt  of  court. 
The  marshal  who  was  appointed  to  serve  this  attach- 
ment reported  to  the  Chief-Justice  that  the  General 
would  not  admit  him  within  the  walls  of  his  fort,  and 
consequently  he  could  not  serve  the  writ  against  him. 
The  Chief-Justice  now  admitted  that  he  could  not 
help  himself;  but  he  openly  declared  it  as  his  opinion 
that  the  President  had  no  power  to  suspend  the  writ 
of  habeas  corpus,  nor  to  allow  anybody  else  to  sus- 
pend it.     Thus  it  would  seem  as  if  the  Chief-Justice, 


"  Rebels  "  or  "  Belligerents  "  ?  165 

instead  of  trying  to   help  the  President  in  his  emer- 
gency, tried  to  hinder  him  all  he  could. 

Another  writ  also  was  issued  by  Judge  Giles  of 
Baltimore  to  Major  Morris  of  the  Artillery  at  Fort 
McHenry.  But  the  Major  wrote  to  the  Judge  that  he 
must  refuse  to  obey  the  writ,  because  at  the  time  it 
was  issued,  and  for  some  time  before,  the  city  of  Bal- 
timore had  been  completely  under  the  control  of  the 
Rebels.  United  States  soldiers  had  been  murdered 
in  her  streets,  and  rebellious  persons  in  the  city  had 
boldly  said  that  they  would  capture  Fort  McHenry, 
if  they  could.  The  Legislature  of  the  State  was  even 
then  considering  whether  or  not  she  should  secede 
from  the  Union.  The  Major  thought  that  all  these 
things  constituted  rebellion,  and  that  it  was  proper  to 
suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

Other  rebellious  persons  were  from  time  to  time 
arrested  in  the  same  way  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try ;  but  the  President  was  very  careful  that  the  power 
should  never  be  abused. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  another  very  difficult  duty  to  per- 
form;  namely,  to  give  foreign  nations  to  understand 
that  the  United  States  would  expect  all  other  nations 
to  regard  the  Rebels  as  rebels,  and  not  as  in  any  way, 
name,  shape,  or  manner  constituting  an  independent 
nation,  with  the  right  to  carry  on  war.  England,  in 
the  very  beginning   of  the  Rebellion,  had  called  the 


1 66      TJie  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lineoln. 

Rebels  "  belligerents,"  and  had  declared  her  intention 
of  remaining  neutral;  that  is,  she  would  neither  help 
us  nor  the  Rebels.  Now,  a  belligerent  is  a  nation  or 
a  State  that  has  the  right  to  carry  on  war.  So  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  said  the  Rebels  were  not  belligerents, 
but  insurgents,  or  rebels  in  arms  against  their  own 
Government,  and  must  be  so  regarded  by  all  other 
nations.  I  will  give  you  a  little  extract  from  a  letter 
which  Mr.  Seward,  the  Secretary  of  State,  sent  to 
Mr.  Adams,  our  Minister  to  England,  which  will  ex- 
plain better  than  I  can  tell  you  what  the  Government 
said  to  England.     Says  Mr.  Seward :  — 

"  What  is  now  seen  in  this  country  is  the  occurrence,  by 
no  means  peculiar,  but  frequent  in  all  countries,  —  more  fre- 
quent, even,  in  Great  Britain  than  here,  —  of  an  armed  insur- 
rection engaged  in  attempting  to  overthrow  the  regularly 
constituted  and  established  Government.  There  is,  of  course, 
the  employment  of  force  by  the  Government  to  suppress  the 
insurrection,  as  every  other  Government  necessarily  employs 
force  in  such  cases.  But  these  incidents  by  no  means  con- 
stitute a  state  of  war,  impairing  the  sovereignty  of  the  Govern- 
ment, creating  belligerent  sections,  and  entitling  foreign  States 
to  intervene,  or  act  as  neutrals,  between  them."    , 

Communications  expressing  the  same  sentiments 
were  sent  to  all  foreign  nations  with  whom  we  hold 
intercourse. 

Thus  you  see,  children,  the  President's  hands  were 


The  Pre  side  Jifs  Great  Difficulties.  167 

pretty  full.  He  not  only  had  to  watch  the  Rebels  at 
home  and  use  all  sorts  of  unheard-of  means  to  sup- 
press them,  —  such  as  creating  an  army,  improvising 
a  navy,  and  setting  aside  the  authority  of  the  Chief- 
Justice  himself;  but  he  had  to  see  that  foreign  nations 
did  not  encourage  the  Rebels  to  hold  out  in  their 
strife,  by  admitting  in  any  way  that  they  had  a  right 
to  take  up  arms  against  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Special  Session  of  Congress.  —  The  President's  Message.  —  De- 
feat of  our  Troops  at  Bull  Run,  —  McClellan  succeeds 
McDowell.  —  Union  Successes  on  the  Coast.  —  Disaster  at 
Ball's  Bluff.  —  Scott's  Resignation. —  McClellan  succeeds 
Scott.  —  Dranesville.  —  The  Trent  Affair. 


HEN  the  President 
issued  his  first  proclama- 
tion calHng  for  troops, 
he  summoned  Congress 
to  assemble  at  the  na- 
tional capital  at  noon  on 
the  fourth  day  of  July. 

Doubtless  the  Rebels 
waited  on  purpose  until 
Congress  had  adjourned, 
before  they  began  hostil- 
ities. \V  h  e  n  they  at- 
tacked Fort  Sumter,  the  Senators  and  Representatives 
were  scattered  all  over  the  Union.  Probably  the 
Rebels  thought  they  should  have  time  to   get  their 


special  Session  of  Congress.  169 

mischief  so  far  under  way  before  Congress  could  be 
called  together,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  stop  it. 
The  President  feared  this,  too ;  for  while  he  immedi- 
ately summoned  an  extra  session  of  Congress,  he  did 
not  wait  two  or  three  months  till  the  Congressmen 
could  meet  at  Washington,  and  so  let  the  country  go 
to  ruin,  for  fear  that  in  trying  to  save  it  he  might  do 
something  which  some  persons  would  find  fault  with 
as  being  unconstitutional ;  but  he  took  the  liberty  of 
doing  everything  which  his  excellent  judgment  and 
cool,  clear  common-sense  told  him  must  be  done  at 
home  and  abroad  to  save  the  nation.  After  a  time 
the  Rebels  found  that  they  had  neither  a  coward  nor 
a  nobody  to  deal  with. 

Congress  met  on  the  4th  of  July,  in  response  to  the 
President's  summons;  and  he  immediately  sent  in  his 
Message,  in  which  he  described  the  state  of  the  coun- 
try and  his  own  proceedings  in  regard  to  it,  and  also 
advised  Congress  to  place  such  means  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Government  as  would  quickly  end  the  contest 
and  wind  up  the  plots  of  the  Rebels. 

For  this  purpose  the  President  thought  it  would 
require  four  hundred  thousand  men  and  four  hundred 
millions  of  dollars.  The  Rebels  had  become  so  deter- 
mined in  their  resistance  that  some  persons  began  to 
think  it  would  be  better  to  have  no  more  fighting,  but 
let  them   go  in  peace,  if  they  wanted  to.      But  Presi- 


I70       The    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


dent  Lincoln  did  not  think  it  was  possible  to  let  them 
go  ;   and  on  this  point  he  said  in  his  Message :  — 

"  The  nation  purchased  with  money  the  countries  out  of 
which  several  of  these  States  were  formed  ;  is  it  just  that  they 
shall  go  off  without  leave  and  without  refunding?  The  nation 
paid  very  large  sums  (in  the  aggregate,  I  believe,  nearly  a 
hundred  millions)  to  relieve  Florida  of  the  aboriginal  tribes ; 
is  it  just  that  she  shall  now  be  off  without  consent  or  without 
making  any  return  ?  The  nation  is  now  in  debt  for  money 
applied  to  the  benefit  of  these  so-called  seceding  States,  in 
common  with  the  rest ;  is  it  just  that  either  creditors  shall  go 
unpaid,  or  the  remaining  States  pay  the  whole?  A  part  of 
the  present  national  debt  was  contracted  to  pay  the  old  debts 
of  Texas  ;  is  it  just  that  she  shall  leave  and  pay  no  part  of 
this  herself? 

"  Again,  if  one  State  may  secede,  so  may  another ;  and 
when  all  shall  have  seceded,  none  is  left  to  pay  the  debts.  Is 
this  quite  just  to  creditors  ?  Did  we  notify  them  of  this  sage 
view  of  ours  when  we  borrowed  their  money?  If  we  now 
recognize  this  doctrine  by  allowing  the  seceders  to  go  in 
peace,  it  is  difficult  to  see  what  we  can  do  if  others  choose 
to  go  or  to  extort  terms  upon  which  they  will  promise  to 


remain." 


Remarking  on  another  point  of  controversy,  the 
President  said :  — 

'•'  Our  popular  Government  has  often  been  called  an  experi- 
ment. Two  points  in  it  our  people  have  already  settled,  — 
the  successful  estabUshing  and  the  successful  administering 


President  Lincobi  s  Message.  171 

of  it.  One  still  remains,  —  its  successful  maintenance  against 
a  formidable  internal  attempt  to  overthrow  it.  It  is  now  for 
them  to  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  those  who  can  fairly 
carry  an  election  can  also  suppress  a  rebellion  ;  that  ballots 
are  the  rightful  and  peaceful  successors  of  bullets ;  and  that 
when  ballots  have  fairly  and  constitutionally  decided,  there 
can  be  no  successful  appeal  back  to  bullets ;  that  there  can 
be  no  successful  appeal,  except  to  ballots  themselves,  at  suc- 
ceeding elections.  Such  will  be  a  great  lesson  of  peace  ; 
teaching  men  that  what  they  cannot  take  by  an  election, 
neither  can  they  take  by  a  war  ;  teaching  all  the  folly  of  being 
the  beginners  of  a  war." 

Now,  you  know,  children,  that  the  Rebels  bitterly 
learned  the  very  lesson  that  Mr.  Lincoln  here  teaches. 
They  learned  that  what  they  could  not  obtain  by 
their  votes,  they  could  not  get  by  their  bullets ;  and 
they  learned  their  folly  in  beginning  the  war.  Mr. 
Lincoln  closes  his  Message,  by  saying :  — 

"  It  was  with  the  deepest  regret  that  the  Executive  found 
the  duty  of  employing  the  war  power  in  defence  of  the  Gov- 
ernment forced  upon  him.  He  could  but  perform  this  duty 
or  surrender  the  existence  of  the  Government.  As  a  private 
citizen,  the  Executive  could  not  have  consented  that  these 
institutions  shall  perish ;  much  less  could  he,  in  betrayal  of 
so  vast  and  so  sacred  a  trust  as  these  free  people  have  con- 
fided to  him.  He  felt  that  he  had  no  moral  right  to  shrink, 
or  even  to  count  the  chances  of  his  own  life,  in  what  might 
follow.     In  full  view  of  his  great  responsibility,  he  has  so  far 


172       The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


done  what  he  has  deemed  his  duty.    You  will  now,  according 
to  your  own  judgment,  perform  yours. 

"  And  having  thus  chosen  our  course,  without  guile  and 
with  pure  purpose,  let  us  renew  our  trust  in  God,  and  go 
forward  without  fear  and  with  manly  hearts." 

Congress   remained    in   session   a  month   and   two 
days.      It  adopted   the   strongest   and   most   earnest 
measures  for  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  ap- 
proved  of  everything  the   President  had  done,  and 
gave  him  even  more  power  than  he  had  asked  for  to 
carry  on  the  war.    The  people  were  delighted  at  these 
proceedings,  and  felt  sure  that  if  such  harmony  con- 
tinued to  exist  between  the  President  and  Congress, 
the  Rebellion  would  soon  be  crushed.     But,  alas  !   it 
was  a  greater  work  than  they  had  anticipated.     All 
this  time,  since  the  fight  at  Sumter,  the  military  on 
either  side  had  not  been  idle.     The  Rebels  were  very 
enthusiastic  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  thousands 
of  their  young  men  had  volunteered.     The  greater 
portion   of  their  army  was   pushed   up    toward    the 
Northern  border,  and  the  Rebels  made  the  greatest 
exertions  to  induce   Maryland,  Kentucky,  Missouri, 
and  Tennessee  to  join  them.     But  the  President  was 
so  judicious  in  his  movements  that  all  but  the  last- 
named  State  refrained  from  actually  joining  them. 

All  through  the  latter  part  of  spring  and  early  part 
of  the  summer  the  Rebels  had  been  constantly  march- 


The  Battle  of  Bull  Run.  173 


ing  troops  into  Virginia,  extending  their  lines  from 
Harper's  Ferry  to  Norfolk.  They  had  also  planted 
batteries  all  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Potomac, 
below  Washington,  and  thus  that  city  was  in  great 
danger.  By  the  last  of  June  they  had  taken  up  a  very 
strong  position  along  a  small  stream  called  Bull  Run, 
their  army  numbering  some  thirty-five  thousand  men. 
The  Rebels,  who  knew  every  inch  of  Virginia,  had 
well  chosen  their  ground.  The  situation  was  one  of 
great  natural  strength,  and  it  was  very  difficult  to  ap- 
proach it  with  an  army,  on  account  of  woods  and  the 
uneven  surface  of  the  country.  They  had  also  pro- 
tected it  with  heavy  earthworks.  Our  people  had 
observed  the  movements  of  the  enemy  with  great 
concern,  and  at  length  it  was  determined  to  attack 
this  force  and  drive  it  away  from  the  vicinity  of 
Washington.  Everybody  believed  this  could  be  done, 
and  that  it  would  put  an  end  to  the  war. 

About  the  middle  of  July  the  Union  forces,  which 
were  stationed  in  front  of  Washington  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  McDowell,  took  up  the  line  of  march 
for  Manassas  Junction.  On  the  21st  a  terrific  battle 
was  fought.  Until  late  in  the  afternoon  it  was  thought 
the  victory  would  be  ours,  when  suddenly  the  tide 
turned  in  favor  of  the  Rebels,  and  our  army,  seized 
with  a  terrible  panic,  was  not  only  defeated,  but 
utterly  routed. 


1/4       The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  turned  and  ran  for  Washing- 
ton, in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  their  officers  to  restrain 
them.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  most  of  these 
men  came  from  peaceful  pursuits,  and  had  never  been 
in  a  battle  before.  It  is  a  very  different  thing  to  be 
in  a  battle  from  what  it  is  to  stay  at  home  and  talk 
and  read  about  one.  At  the  time  both  General  Mc- 
Dowell and  the  soldiers  were  severely  blamed ;  but 
good  judges  have  since  thought  that  nobody  was  to 
blame,  —  that  all  did  as  well  as  they  could  under  the 
circumstances.  There  had  been  considerable  skir- 
mishing and  some  small  engagements  before  in  vari- 
ous places ;  but  this  was  the  first  great  battle  of  the 
w'ar,  and  our  failure  took  everybody  by  surprise. 

All  had  counted  on  victory  as  sure,  and  we  could 
hardly  believe  the  terrible  despatches  which  told  us 
of  our  great  disappointment.  But  nobody  was  dis- 
couraged, or  thought  of  such  a  thing  as  giving  up, 
although  people  began  to  see  that  it  would  take  more 
than  one  battle  to  end  the  war,  and  that  the  only  way 
was  to  try  again,  and  keep  on  trying  until  God  should 
see  fit  to  bless  us  with  success. 

The  Rebels  pursued  our  forces  and  established 
their  pickets  within  a  few  miles  of  Washington,  and 
before  the  end  of  the  summer  had  a  large  army  in 
front  of  the  city.  General  McDowell  had  been  so 
unfortunate  at  Bull  Run  that  it  was  thought  best  to 


General  McClcllan  in  Command.  175 

place  another  commander  over  the  Union  troops. 
General  McClellan  was  considered  the  most  suitable 
man,  and  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  was 
recalled  from  Western  Virginia,  where  he  had  been 
successfully  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  and  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 
Every  effort  was  now  made  to  reorganize  and 
strengthen  this  army,  and  put  it  in  a  condition  to 
push  back  the  enemy. 

On  the  i6th  of  August  the  President  issued  a  pro- 
clamation forbidding  all  intercourse  with  the  seceded 
States,  and  on  the  same  day  General  Wool  took  com- 
mand at  Fortress  Monroe,  where  a  considerable  body 
of  our  troops  had  been  for  some  time  under  General 
Butler.  The  Government  now  determined  to  retake 
some  of  the  places  along  the  Atlantic  coast  which 
the  Rebels  had  seized  and  fortified. 

For  this  purpose,  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  a 
fleet  of  war  vessels  and  transports  left  Fortress  Mon- 
roe to  make  a  combined  military  and  naval  attack 
upon  Forts  Hatteras  and  Clark,  which  the  Rebels  had 
erected  on  the  north  side  of  Hatteras  Inlet.  The  ex- 
pedition, under  the  command  of  General  Butler  and 
Flag-Officer  Stringham,  was  entirely  successful ;  and 
after  a  bombardment  of  a  day  and  a  half,  both  forts 
were  captured,  together  with  several  hundred  prison- 
ers, a  large  number  of  arms,  and  other  valuable  prop- 


1/6      TJie    Children's  Life  of  AbraJiani  Lincoln. 

erty.  In  October  a  similar  expedition  was  planned 
for  the  capture  of  Port  Royal,  an  island  on  the  coast 
of  South  Carolina,  which  the  Government  wanted  for 
a  naval  rendezvous.  Port  Royal  has  a  very  fine 
harbor,  where  vessels  drawing  twenty-three  feet  of 
water  can  ride  at  anchor.  But  the  approach  to  this 
harbor  from  the  sea  is  across  a  dangerous  bar  or 
shoal. 

Before  the  war  the  channel  across  this  bar  was 
marked  by  buoys,  which  made  the  passage  over  it 
perfectly  easy;  but  the  Rebels,  knowing  that  this 
would  be  a  very  fine  position  for  the  Government  to 
occupy,  had  torn  up  all  the  old  way-marks,  in  the 
hope  that  if  any  of  our  vessels  attempted  to  sail  in, 
they  would  be  wrecked  on  the  bar.  The  Yankees, 
however,  were  a  match  for  them.  This  expedition, 
commanded  by  Flag-Officer  Du  Pont  and  General 
Sherman,  sailed  from  Fortress  Monroe  on  the  29th 
instant. 

On  the  third  day  after  sailing,  a  heavy  gale  set  in, 
which  scattered  the  fleet  in  every  direction.  The 
wind  blew  like  a  hurricane  for  thirty  hours  ;  but  after 
it  subsided,  the  ships  found  one  another  again,  and  in 
due  time  arrived  off  Port  Royal  bar.  The  first  thing 
Du  Pont  did  was  to  find  the  old  channel  and  replace 
the  buoj^s ;  he  had  no  idea  of  being  wrecked  on  the 
bar,  to  begin  with.     The  small  vessels  that  could  sail 


Capture  of  Port  Royal.  177 

in  shallow  water  were  first  sent  over,  and  were  met 
by  a  fleet  of  small  Rebel  steamers,  which  had  come 
out  to  dispute  their  passage ;  but  the  Yankees  soon 
put  them  to  flight.  The  next  day  all  the  big  frigates 
crossed  the  bar  and  got  ready  for  a  fight,  which  it 
was  expected  would  come  off  the  next  morning ;  but 
as  it  stormed  very  hard,  Du  Pont  concluded  to  wait 
another  day. 

At  half-past  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th 
of  November,  Du  Pont,  at  the  head  of  his  fleet,  steamed 
up  close  to  Bay  Point,  and  poured  a  broadside  into 
Fort  Beauregard,  which  commanded  one  side  of  the 
harbor;  then  steaming  around  to  the  other  side,  he 
paid  the  same  compliment  to  Fort  Walker.  In  this 
manner  all  the  fleet  sailed  around  in  a  circle,  firing 
first  at  one  fort  and  then  at  the  other,  till  two  o'clock; 
by  that  time  the  Rebels  were  glad  to  give  in.  They 
did  not  stop  to  be  taken  prisoners,  but  ran  off,  leaving 
everything  but  their  muskets.  The  forts  were  thus 
captured,  with  a  large  quantity  of  war  materiel. 

While  these  successes  were  being  gained,  another 
disaster  befell  the  army  of  the  Potomac.  When  Gen- 
eral McClellan  took  command  of  this  army,  it  num- 
bered about  fifty  thousand  men ;  but  fresh  troops 
poured  in  faster  than  the  Government  could  arm 
them,  notwithstanding  every  armory  in  the  country 
was  filled  with  men  working  at  the  top  of  their  speed 


1/8      TJic  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

day  and  night  and  Sundays  too,  and  the  Government 
had  sent  agents  to  foreign  countries  to  purchase  arms. 
By  the  middle  of  October  such  had  been  the  activity 
and  patriotism  of  the  people  that  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  numbered  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  men,  with  a  large  artillery  force.  The 
troops  were  in  splendid  condition,  in  excellent  disci- 
pline, and  under  the  command  of  very  skilful  officers. 
All,  officers  and  men,  were  alike  impatient  to  move. 

In  October  General  McClellan  ordered  a  portion 
of  our  forces  to  cross  the  Potomac  in  the  direction  of 
a  town  called  Leesburg.  There  was  a  brigade  of 
Rebels  in  this  place,  and  the  General  wished  to  make 
a  movement  which  would  compel  them  to  leave  it. 

On  the  Virginia  side  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite 
Harrison's  Island  is  very  steep  and  about  eighty  feet 
high,  and  is  called  Ball's  Bluff".  Our  troops  were  met 
at  this  place  by  the  enemy  in  great  force,  and  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss.  The  men  fought  bravely;  but  the 
enemy  outnumbered  them,  and  they  were  not  rein- 
forced as  they  should  have  been.  The  people  were 
very  much  provoked  at  this  disaster,  because  they 
thought  the  aff*air  was  badly  managed,  and  the  lives 
of  our  brave  soldiers  needlessly  sacrificed.  Soon  after 
this  General  McClellan  was  called  upon  to  assume 
still  higher  duties. 

On  the  last  day  of  October  General  Scott,  who  was 


McClcllan  appointed  General-in-Chief.       lyg 


very  infirm  and  too  old  to  take  the  field  in  person, 
resigned  his  position.  The  Government  were  very- 
sorry  to  part  with  the  services  of  so  valuable  and  dis- 
tinguished a  man ;  but  they  knew  he  was  too  feeble 
to  bear  such  an  amount  of  care  as  must  rest  upon  the 
General-in-Chief  in  such  disastrous  times:  they  were 
obliged,  therefore,  to  accept  his  resignation.  The 
President,  however,  thought  the  brave  old  General, 
who  had  rendered  such  important  aid  to  his  country, 
ought  to  retire  with  the  highest  honors  that  could  be 
shown  him.  So  he  and  his  Cabinet  waited  upon 
General  Scott  in  person,  and  expressed  the  deepest 
regret  that  the  country  must  part  with  him.  The 
President  also  issued  an  order  that  the  General's  pay, 
subsistence,  and  allowances  should  continue  without 
reduction. 

General  McClellan  was  now  appointed  General-in- 
Chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  but  he  also 
retained  personal  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. The  weather  was  fine  during  all  this  autumn, 
and  the  President  and  the  people  and  the  soldiers 
were  alike  impatient  for  a  movement  of  this  army  ; 
but  for  some  reason  or  other,  McClellan  thought  it 
was  not  best  to  move.  Toward  the  latter  part  of 
December,  however,  a  sharp  action  occurred  at  a 
little  village  called  Dranesville.  There  was  a  quan- 
tity of  forage  at  this  place,  which  McClellan  wished 
to  secure. 


i8o     The  Childrciis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 

Accordingly  General  Ord  was  despatched  with  a 
brigade  and  a  large  number  of  wagons  to  gather  it. 
The  Rebel  General  Stuart  was  bound  for  the  same 
place  on  the  same  errand.  A  short  but  very  spirited 
contest  took  place  between  the  two  armies,  in  which 
General  Ord  was  successful;  he  returned  at  night  to 
his  camp,  with  forty  loads  of  forage.  After  this  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  went  into  winter  quarters. 

The  people  were  very  much  dissatisfied  that  no 
advance  had  been  made  upon  the  enemy  all  that 
glorious  autumn.  Our  army  was  known  to  be  far 
superior  in  number  to  the  Rebel  army,  and  yet  the 
enemy  was  allowed  to  come  nearer  and  nearer  to 
Washington.  Man}-  persons  blamed  the  President 
and  his  Cabinet,  and  thought  they  purposely  hindered 
McClellan.  But  this  was  a  great  mistake.  The  Pres- 
ident was  more  anxious  for  a  movement  than  any 
one  else,  and  did  all  he  could  to  assist  McClellan. 
In  the  mean  time  our  forces  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  had  not  been  idle ;  and  at  length,  after  a 
series  of  combined  movements,  the  Rebels  were 
driven  out  of  Western  Virginia,  Kentucky,  and 
Missouri.  On  the  3d  of  December  our  forces  took 
possession  of  Ship  Island. 

The  Rebels  all  this  time  had  been  as  busy  as  bees, 
strengthening  themselves  in  every  way  they  could 
think  of.     Their  pirates  had   infested   our  seas,   and 


Captain   Wilkes  and  the  ''Trenty  i8i 


destroyed  a  large  number  of  our  merchant-vessels. 
Their  so-called  Congress  had  met  at  Richmond,  and 
passed  acts  to  raise  a  large  amount  of  money,  and  to 
empower  Jefferson  Davis  to  accept  a  great  number 
of  volunteers.  It  was  impossible  to  find  out  much 
about  the  Rebels,  but  enough  was  known  to  render 
it  certain  that  they  intended  to  make  a  very  deter- 
mined resistance.  They  appointed  commissioners  to 
several  European  nations,  asking  those  powers  to 
recognize  them  as  belonging  to  the  family  of  nations, 
and  to  make  treaties  of  amity  and  commerce  with 
them.  Messrs.  J.  M.  Mason  and  John  Slidell  were 
sent  as  commissioners  to  France  and  England. 

These  gentlemen  had  succeeded  in  getting  to  Ha- 
vana in  a  steamer  which  had  run  the  blockade  at 
Charleston.  Upon  their  arriving  at  Havana,  the 
British  mail-steamer  "Trent,"  bound  for  St.  Thomas, 
took  them  on  board;  from  thence  they  were  to 
proceed  to  Europe.  Captain  Wilkes  of  the  United 
States  frigate  "  San  Jacinto,"  who  was  sailing  about 
in  these  waters  in  search  of  Confederate  cruisers,  came 
up  with  the  "Trent"  the  next  day,  and  firing  a  shot 
across  her  bows,  hailed  her,  and  told  her  he  wished 
to  send  a  boat  on  board.  So  Captain  Wilkes  sent 
his  lieutenant  on  board  the  "  Trent,"  who,  by  the 
Captain's  order,  demanded  to  see  the  passenger-list. 
This  request  the  captain  of  the  "Trent"  refused  to 


1 82      The  Children'' s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


grant.  The  lieutenant,  however,  soon  found  out  to 
a  certainty  that  Messrs.  J.  M.  Mason  and  John  Slidell, 
with  their  secretaries,  were  on  board  the  "Trent," 
and  he  told  these  gentlemen  they  must  leave  their 
present  quarters,  and  go  with  him  on  board  the  "  San 
Jacinto."  This  they  all  stoutly  refused  to  do,  but 
were  at  length  compelled  to  obey  the  order  of  Captain 
Wilkes. 

After  the  removal  of  the  commissioners,  the 
"  Trent "  was  allowed  to  proceed  on  her  voyage ; 
but  these  gentlemen,  with  their  secretaries,  were 
brought  to  the  United  States,  and  placed  for  safe- 
keeping in  Fort  Warren.  Everybody  in  the  United 
States  admired  the  boldness  and  courage  of  Captain 
Wilkes  in  capturing  these  Rebel  emissaries,  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  sent  Mm  a  complimentary 
letter. 

But  it  was  thought  that  in  some  respects  the  affair 
was  not  quite  legal,  and  England  was  so  v^ery  angry 
that  many  persons  feared  it  would  be  the  cause  of  a 
war.  England  sent  us  word  that  the  only  redress 
which  would  satisfy  her  w^ould  be  that  the  United 
States  should  make  her  a  suitable  apology,  and  im- 
mediately liberate  these  four  gentlemen  and  place 
them  under  British  protection.  The  people  thought 
our  Government  would  not  do  this;  but  Mr.  Lincoln 
said  one  war  at  a  time  was  plenty.     So  he  directed 


War  with  England  Avoided.  183 

Mr.  Seward  to  say  to  England  that  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  would  cheerfully  liberate  these 
four  persons,  because  Captain  Wilkes  had  acted  upon 
his  own  responsibility  in  capturing  them,  instead  of 
sending  them  before  a  legal  tribunal,  where  they 
could  have  a  trial. 

Thus,  by  the  wise  forbearance  of  the  President,  we 
were  saved  from  war  with  England ;  and  England 
herself  was  so  pleased  at  this  action  of  our  Govern- 
ment that  she  did  not  recognize  the  Southern 
Confederacy. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  President's  Order.  — Yorktown.  — Williamsburg.  — Advance 
of  the  Army.  —  McClellan's  Retreat  to  James  River.  —  Pope 
succeeds  McClellan.  —  McClellan  succeeds  Pope.  —  South 
Mountain.  —  A..ntietam.  —  Burnside  succeeds  McClellan.  — 
Union  Successes  in  the  West.  —  Capture  of  New  Orleans. 
—  Report  by  Congress  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War. 


HAVE  thus  endeavored,  children.,  to  relate 
to  you  the  principal  events  of  the  }'ear 
i86i.  Now  we  will  glance  briefly  at  the 
most  important  military  events  of  1862. 
You  have  seen  that  the  greater  part  of  1861  was 
spent  by  both  sides  in  getting  ready  to  carry  on  a 
tremendous  war.  The  Rebels  were  determined  to 
beat.  They  meant  to  have  their  own  way.  We,  on 
the  other  hand,  were  as  much  determined  that  they 
should  not  beat,  —  that  this  glorious  country  should 
never  go  to  ruin.  Therefore,  when  the  Northern 
people  had  been  so  generous  and  offered  the  Gov- 
ernment everything  it  wanted  to  prosecute  the  war, 
men  and  money  without  stint,  they  expected  our 
soldiers  would  begin  immediately  to  fight  the  Rebels 
in  good  earnest,  and  end  the  war  as  soon  as  possible. 


The  Army  of  the  Potomac.  185 


Perhaps  the  people  were  too  impatient,  and  did  not 
understand  so  well  as  the  General-in-Chief  what  was 
proper  to  be  done.  You  will  recollect  how  disap- 
pointed they  were  that  there  was  no  movement  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during  the  autumn  of 
1 86 1.  There  was  a  great  deal  else  to  be  done  in 
various  other  parts  of  the  country;  but  everybody 
thought  the  main  contest  must  be  between  our  Army 
of  the  Potomac  and  the  Rebel  army  in  Virginia.  We 
wanted  to  take  their  capital,  Richmond,  and  they 
wanted  to  take  our  capital,  Washington.  We  had 
fortified  Washington,  and  the  Rebels  had  fortified 
Richmond  ;  but  our  army  was  larger,  better  equipped, 
and  better  fed,  and  we  wanted  it  to  push  forward  and 
make  a  grand  descent  upon  Richmond. 

It  seemed  to  those  who  stayed  at  home  that  this 
might  be  done,  or,  at  all  events,  that  an  attempt 
to  do  it  should  be  made.  The  President  was  very 
impatient,  indeed,  that  the  contest  should  begin;  so 
he  selected  the  22d  of  February,  Washington's  Birth- 
day, as  the  time  for  a  general  movement  of  all  the 
Union  armies  against  the  enemy.  The  President,  by 
virtue  of  his  position,  was  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army  and  navy,  and  he  had  a  right  to  give  any  order 
he  chose.  But  besides  issuing  this  general  order  to 
all  the  land  and  naval  forces,  he  sent  a  special  order 
to  General  McClellan,  telling  him  that  after  providing 


1 86     TJie  Children  s  Life  of  Abi'aJiam  Lincoln. 

for  the  safety  of  Washington  he  should  form  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  into  an  expedi- 
tion to  seize  and  occupy  a  place  on  the  railroad 
southwest  of  Manassas  Junction.  The  Rebels  had 
a  large  army  in  front  of  Washington,  and  the  Presi- 
dent thought  that  by  thus  making  a  flank  attack  our 
army  could  defeat  it,  and  rush  upon  Richmond,  and 
so  break  the  main  strength  of  the  Rebellion. 

General  McClellan  did  not  approve  of  the  President's 
plan  at  all,  and  proposed  an  entirely  difterent  one,  to 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  at  length  consented.  But  before 
anything  could  be  done  about  carrying  it  into  opera- 
tion, the  enemy  marched  away  from  Manassas  of 
their  own  accord.  McClellan  now  proposed  a  new 
plan  of  operations,  to  which  the  President  gave  his 
consent,  with  the  provision  that  Washington  must  be 
left  secure,  and  a  sufficient  force  left  at  Manassas  to 
prevent  the  enemy  from  retaking  it.  He  then  begged 
McClellan  to  move  the  remainder  of  his  army  imme- 
diately in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  by  some  route. 

The  President  was  much  pained  that  our  army  had 
waited  so  long  with  the  enemy  right  in  front  ot  it  at 
Manassas,  and  also  much  m.ortified  that  the  Rebels 
had  got  safely  off,  not  only  without  being  attacked, 
but  without  their  plans  being  even  suspected.  He 
thought,  therefore,  that  it  was  high  time  to  do  some- 
thing, and  begged  General  McClellan  not  to  delay. 


Siege  of  Yorktown.  187 

The  General  now  proceeded  to  Fortress  Monroe 
with  the  main  body  of  his  army,  and  advanced  upon 
Yorktown,  This  place  had  been  strongly  fortified, 
and  was  held  by  the  Rebel  General  Magruder,  with 
a  force  of  about  eleven  thousand  men.  McClellan, 
however,  supposed  there  was  a  much  larger  Rebel 
force,  and  so,  instead  of  making  a  direct  attack,  com- 
menced preparations  for  a  siege ;  in  the  mean  time 
the  Rebels  were  gradually  concentrating  at  Rich- 
mond. After  the  siege  of  Yorktown  had  continued 
a  month,  it  was  discovered  one  morning  that  the 
enemy  were  missing.  McClellan  immediately  pur- 
sued them,  and  came  up  with  them  the  next  day  at 
Williamsburg,  where  a  sharp  action  occurred,  in  which 
our  army  was  victorious ;  and  the  Rebels  fled  for 
Richmond. 

On  the  9th  of  May  the  enemy  evacuated  Norfolk, 
and  the  next  day  General  Wool  took  possession  of 
the  city.  The  Rebels  now  blew  up  their  famous  iron- 
clad "  Merrimac,"  which  had  done  a  great  deal  of 
mischief,  and  had  held  all  our  naval  force  at  Fortress 
Monroe  in  check.  Our  gunboats  now  tried  to  open 
the  navigation  of  the  James  River;  but  when  they 
had  arrived  within  eight  miles  of  Richmond,  a  battery 
opened  fire  upon  them  at  Drury's  Bluff,  and  they 
could   go  no   farther. 

McClellan  gradually  pushed  his  army  up  the  penin- 


1 88      The  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


sula,  and  by  the  20th  of  May  the  main  body  had 
reached  the  Chickahominy,  which  is  a  small  muddy 
river  from  six  to  sixteen  miles  distant  from  Rich- 
mond. On  either  side  of  the 
stream  are  forests  and  marshy 
lands,  which,  when  the  river 
overflows  its  banks,  become 
impassable  swamps.  The 
Rebels  had  entrenched  them- 
selves, for  the  defence  of 
Richmond,  behind  this 
swampy  stream.  It  was  ne- 
cessary to  build  bridges  and 
roads,  to  enable  our  army  to 
cross  the  river  and  swamps. 
The  ground  was  so  marshy 
that  the  men  were  obliged  to 
work  up  to  their  waists  in 
water;  and  many  became  ill 
and  died  from  the  exposure. 
But  the  brave  fellows  never 
shrunk  from  any  duty;  and 
six  bridges  and  many  miles 
of  road  were  built.  In  the  mean  time  battles  were 
fought  at  Hanover  Court  House  and  Fair  Oaks, 
both  of  which  proved  Union  victories. 

McClellan    at   length   became    convinced    that   he 


A    VOLUNTEER. 


Battle  of  Antictam.  189 

could  not  hold  his  position,  and  resolved  to  retreat 
to  James  River.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of 
June  the  enemy  attacked  our  forces  at  Mechanics- 
ville,  which  was  the  beginning  of  a  most  terrific 
contest  of  seven  days.  All  this  time  our  forces  were 
retreating;  they  arrived  finally  at  James  River,  and 
fell  back  to  Harrison's  Landing. 

On  the  8th  of  July  President  Lincoln  reviewed  the 
troops  at  this  place,  and  held  a  long  consultation 
with  General  McClellan  in  regard  to  what  should  be 
done  next.  General  McClellan  was  at  length  placed 
in  command  of  the  troops  for  the  defence  of  Wash- 
ington, and  General  Pope  assumed  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  After  a  severe  campaign 
Pope  was  relieved,  at  his  own  request,  and  McClellan 
was  reappointed  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the   Potomac. 

In  the  month  of  September  it  was  found  that  Lee 
was  invading  Maryland.  McClellan  marched  imme- 
diately to  attack  him,  and  on  the  14th  of  that  month 
the  battle  of  South  Mountain  was  fought,  which 
proved  a  Union  victory.  Three  days  after  occurred 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  which  the  Rebels  were  en- 
tirely defeated ;  but  no  pursuit  was  made,  and  they 
were  allowed  quietly  to  recross  the  Potomac. 

On  the  1st  of  October  the  President  again  visited 
the  army,  to  learn  for  himself  its  strength  and  posi- 


IQO     The    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

tion.  On  the  6th  instant  he  sent  a  peremptory  order 
to  McClellan  to  cross  the  Potomac  and  give  battle  to 
the  enemy  or  drive  him  south.  The  President  said 
to  him:  "You  must  move  noiv,  while  the  roads  are 
good."  This  order  was  not  obeyed  for  nearly  a 
month,  McClellan  alleging  various  reasons  for  the 
delay. 

During  this  time  many  communications  passed 
between  the  President  and  the  General,  and  the  Pres- 
ident tried  with  all  his  might  to  remove  all  the  diffi- 
culties which  McClellan  said  prevented  him  from 
moving.  In  the  mean  time  the  Rebel  General  Stuart 
made  a  raid  into  Pennsylvania  with  a  force  of  about 
twenty-five  hundred  cavalry,  and  after  helping  him- 
self to  clothing,  horses,  and  other  supplies,  and  burn- 
ing up  the  railroad-station,  returned,  having  ridden 
completely  around  our  army  without  being  molested. 

Finally,  on  the  5th  of  November,  McClellan  sent 
word  to  the  President  that  he  had  crossed  his  army 
into  Virginia.  But  before  this  the  people  had  be- 
come so  impatient  that  something  should  be  done, 
and  the  President  himself  was  so  perplexed  at  Mc- 
Clellan's  delays,  that  he  had  determined  to  remove 
him,  and  place  somebody  else  in  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  So  it  happened  that  on  the 
same  day  on  which  McClellan  sent  his  despatch  to 
the  President  an  order  was  issued,  relieving  the  Gen- 


Bicrnside  succeeds  McClcllaii.  191 

era]  from  command,  and  appointing  General  Burnside 
as  his  successor. 

This  closed  McClellan's  connection  with  the  war. 
I  have  here  noticed  very  briefly,  children,  some  of 
the  principal  events  of  his  campaign.  You  will  read 
in  other  books  full  and  interesting  accounts  of  his 
entire  career;  but  in  so  small  a  work  as  this  only  a 
small  space  can  be  given  to  any  general.  McClellan 
was  very  unfortunate,  and  some  persons  have  said 
that  his  failures  were  owing  to  President  Lincoln's 
failure  to  sustain  him.  But  whoever  will  take  the 
trouble  to  read  the  official  papers  on  both  sides  will 
see  that  this  is  an  unjust  accusation.  The  Presi- 
dent not  only  sustained  him  to  the  utmost  of  his 
ability,  but  kept  him  in  command  a  long  time  after 
he  was  urged  in  the  strongest  manner  to  remove  him. 
He  also  tried,  in  the  fulness  of  his  generous  heart,  to 
shield  McClellan  from  blame,  when  the  public  voice 
was  loud  against  him  after  his  retreat  to  James  River. 
At  a  war-meeting  in  Washington  the  President  said : 

"  I  know  General  McClellan  wishes  to  be  successful,  and 
I  know  he  does  not  wish  it  any  more  than  the  Secretary  of 
War  for  him ;  and  both  of  them  together  no  more  than  I  wish 
it.  General  McClellan  has  sometimes  asked  for  things  that 
the  Secretary  of  War  did  not  give  him.  General  McClellan 
is  not  to  blame  for  asking  what  he  wanted  and  needed,  and 
the  Secretary  of  War  is  not  to  blame  for  not  giving  when  he 


192      The    Childrcji's  Life  of  AbraJiaui  Lincoln. 


had  none  to  give.  And  I  say  here,  as  far  as  I  know,  the 
Secretary  of  War  has  withheld  no  one  thing  at  any  time  in 
my  power  to  give  him.  I  have  no  accusation  against  him. 
I  beheve  he  is  a  brave  and  able  man,  and  I  stand  here,  as 
justice  requires  me  to  do,  to  take  upon  myself  what  has  been 
charged  on  the  Secretary  of  War  as  withholding  from  him." 

This  was  the  President's  noble  disposition.  He 
was  always  more  ready  to  take  all  blame  upon  him- 
self than  to  allow  it  to  rest  upon  others. 

On  the  13th  of  December  an  unsuccessful  battle 
was  fought  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under 
General  Burnside. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1862,  and  see  what  was  accomplished  by  the  Union 
army  in  other  portions  of  the  country.  To  enable 
you  to  understand  what  I  am  about  to  relate,  we 
must  go  back  a  little  into  the  year  1861.  If  you  will 
take  some  good  map  and  look  out  all  the  places  that 
are  mentioned,  you  will  have  a  much  better  idea  of 
what  was  done. 

The  Rebels  held  control  of  a  great  portion  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  the  President  thought  one  of 
the  most  important  things  to  be  done  was  to  take  it 
from  them.  A  base  of  operations  was  established  at 
Cairo,  Illinois,  at  which  place  the  Ohio  River  unites 
with  the  Mississippi.  General  Grant  was  in  com- 
mand here,  and  a  big  fleet  of  gun  and  mortar  boats 


General  Grant  in  the   West.  193 

was  in  preparation.  For  several  months  after  the 
war  began,  Kentucky  called  herself  neutral,  and  said 
she  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  contest  in  any- 
way; but  in  the  early  part  of  September,  1861, 
Bishop  Polk,  who  was  then  a  Rebel  general,  marched 
into  Kentucky,  and  took  possession  of  Columbus  and 
Hickman,  on  the  Mississippi.  The  Rebels  now  held 
all  the  Mississippi  below  these  places  to  its  very 
mouth,  Polk  began  to  fortify  these  points,  when 
Grant  immediately  marched  into  Kentucky  and  took 
possession  of  Paducah. 

Soon  after,  the  Rebel  General  Zollicoffer  marched 
into  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State,  and  the  Rebel 
General  Buckner  took  possession  of  Bowling  Green. 
This  was  a  very' important  strategic  point,  as  it  was 
a  place  of  great  natural  strength,  and  also  at  the 
junction  of  the  railroads  from  Memphis  and  Nashville 
to  Louisville.  These  positions  which  the  Rebels  had 
taken  formed  a  part  of  a  line  of  posts  reaching  from 
the  Mississippi  River  to  Cumberland  Gap.  The  most 
important  military  positions  on  this  line  were  Colum- 
bus on  the  Mississippi,  Fort  Henry  on  the  Tennessee, 
Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland,  Bowling  Green, 
and  Mill  Spring.  We  are  now  prepared  to  under- 
stand what  took  place  in  this  part  of  the  country  in 
the  year  1862. 

On  the  19th  of  January  General  Thomas  gained  a 

13 


194     ^Jic    Children's  Life  of  AbraJiarn  Lincoln. 

decided  victory  at  Mill  Spring;  the  Rebels  were  put 
to  flight,  and  Zollicoffer  was  killed.  On  the  6th  of 
February  Captain  Foote,  with  a  fleet  of  gunboats, 
captured  Fort  Henry.  Buckner  now  thought  it 
would  not  be  safe  for  him  to  remain  at  Bowling 
Green ;  so  he  proceeded  with  all  his  troops  to  Fort 
Donelson.  But  Grant  was  after  him,  and  the  fort  was 
captured,  together  with  Buckner  himself  and  sixteen 
thousand  men.  Columbus  was  soon  after  evacuated, 
and  also  Nashville,  the  capital  of  Tennessee. 

The  Legislature  fled  from  Nashville  to  Memphis ; 
and  Andrew  Johnson,  who  was  then  a  Senator,  was 
appointed  by  President  Lincoln  Military  Governor 
of  the  State.  After  Columbus  and  Nashville  had 
been  abandoned,  the  Rebels  took  up  some  very 
strong  positions  on  the  Mississippi,  at  New  Madrid 
and  Island  Number  Ten  ;  they  also  fortified  themselves 
at  Corinth.  General  Pope  took  New  Madrid  from 
them  on  the  14th  of  March,  and  immediately  after 
Flag-Officer  Foote,  with  a  fleet  of  gunboats,  attacked 
Island  Number  Ten.  This  position  was  very  strong, 
however,  and  held  out  for  more  than  three  weeks ; 
but  at  length  it  surrendered. 

In  the  mean  time  Grant  was  pushing  for  Corinth. 
On  the  6th  of  April  his  advance-guard  was  attacked 
at  Shiloh,  near  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  a  most  terrific 
fight    occurred,    which    lasted    for    two    days.       The 


Admiral  Farragiit  takes  New  Orleajis.       195 

Rebels  were  badly  whipped,  and  fled  for  Corinth. 
This  was  a  very  strong  position,  and  they  remained 
there  until  the  30th  of  May;  then  they  retreated,  and 
General  Pope  went  in  pursuit.  After  Island  Number 
Ten  was  captured,  the  Rebels  made  a  stand  at  Fort 
Wright,  which  is  about  fifty  miles  above  Memphis. 
Our  gunboats  soon  attacked  this  place,  and  the  fort 
was  abandoned  on  the  4th  of  June.  Two  days  later 
Memphis  surrendered.  Thus,  you  see,  we  had  taken 
quite  a  large  portion  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
Mississippi. 

But  this  was  not  all  of  the  Mississippi  that  had 
been  gained.  Still  more  important  victories  had 
been  won  down  at  its  very  mouth.  The  river  was 
commanded,  below  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  by  two 
very  strong  forts,  one  on  each  side,  called  Fort  Jack- 
son and  Fort  St.  Philip.  Between  these  two  forts 
a  chaia  had  been  thrown  across  the  river.  On  the 
i6th  of  April  Commodore  Farragut,  with  an  immense 
fleet  of  gunships  and  mortar-boats,  moved  up  the 
river  for  the  capture  of  New  Orleans. 

It  was  a  most  difficult  and  perilous  undertaking, 
but  the  Commodore  did  not  shrink.  He  bombarded 
the  forts,  broke  the  heavy  iron  chain,  ran  past  the 
Rebel  batteries,  destroyed  the  enemy's  rams  and 
gunboats,  and  in  seven  days  had  captured  the  city, 
which  he  occupied  on  the  25th  instant. 


196     The    Childrciis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

While  all  these  things  were  going  on,  General 
Burnside  had  been  doing  great  things  in  still  anotlier 
part  of  the  country.  A  combined  military  and  naval 
expedition,  commonly  called  the  "  Burnside  Expedi- 
tion," sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  on  the  12th  of 
January,  under  the  command  of  General  Burnside 
and  Flag-Officer  Goldsborough,  for  the  capture  of 
Roanoke  Island.  A  terrible  tempest  delayed  the 
fleet,  but  at  length,  on  the  7th  of  February,  the 
strong  intrenchments  of  Roanoke  Island  were  stormed 
and  the  forts  captured.  Many  Rebels  were  taken 
prisoners.  On  the  next  day  our  vessels  sailed  up 
the  sound  to  Elizabeth  City,  destroyed  the  enemy's 
gunboats,  and  took  possession  of  several  towns.  On 
the  14th  of  March  General  Burnside  followed  up  his 
successes  by  fighting  the  battle  of  Newbern,  captur- 
ing the  city,  and  gaining  a  very  important  victory. 

Du  Pont  was  also  doing  his  part  by  capturing  the 
principal  seaports  of  Florida ;  he  also  took  Fort 
Pulaski,  on  the  river  Savannah.  In  March  General 
Curtis  gained  a  splendid  victory  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ar- 
kansas. In  the  first  part  of  October  a  very  severe 
battle  was  fought  near  Corinth,  which  the  Rebels 
attempted  to  retake ;  but  they  were  driven  back  with 
great  loss  by  our  forces,  under  General  Rosecrans. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  a  committee  of  Congress- 
men, appointed  to  report  concerning  the  conduct  of 


Close  of  the   Year  1862. 


197 


the  war,  said  that  during  the  autumn  of  1861  and  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1862  the  Union  troops  had  been 
for  the  most  part  successful,  except  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac ;  and  that  if  the  success  of  that  army  had 
been  as  great  as  other  branches  of  our  forces,  the 
RebeUion  would  have  been  well-nigh  if  not  entirely 
overthrown  by  the  end  of  the  year  1862. 


-^^^M:.r^^^^f: 


&^1# 


"he  died  for  us." 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


The  President's  Position  in  regard  to  Slavery.  —  Meeting  of  Con- 
gress. —  Confiscation  Bill.  —  The  Border  States.  —  Slavery 
in  the  Territories  and  District  of  Columbia  abolished. — 
Emancipation  Proclamation.  —  Confederate  Cruisers.  — 
Action  of  Mr.  Adams. 


HIS  is  all  the  space  that 
we  can  devote  to  the 
military  events  of  1 862. 
Now  we  shall  see  what 
else  the  President  did 
to  bring  back  peace 
and  harmony  to  the 
country. 

You  will  remember 
that  before  the  war  act- 
ually broke  out  the  leaders  of  the  Rebellion  had  done 
their  utmost  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the  Southern 
people  against  President  Lincoln,  telling  them  that  he 
intended  to  rob  them  of  their  slaves  and  deprive  them 
of    all    their    lawful    rights    under    the    Constitution. 


The  President  and  Slavery.  199 

After  the  war  commenced,  these  reports  were  circu- 
lated more  vigorously  than  ever.  The  South  was 
told  that  the  whole  object  of  the  war,  on  the  part 
of  the  President  and  the  North,  was  not,  as  was  pre- 
tended, for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  the 
Constitution,  but  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves. 
Jefferson  Davis  and  other  leaders  of  the  Rebellion 
had  told  this  story  over  and  over  again,  coloring  it 
with  the  greatest  ingenuity,  in  order  to  madden  the 
Southern  people,  and  to  induce  the  slave-holding 
States  which  had  not  yet  seceded  to  go  over  to 
their  side. 

On  the  other  hand,  President  Lincoln  assured  the 
South,  as  soon  as  he  assumed  the  government,  that 
he  had  no  intention  of  interfering  with  slavery  where 
it  already  existed,  and  that  he  believed  he  had  no 
lawful  right  to  do  such  a  thing.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  war  he  still  adhered  to  this  position.  He  in- 
tended that  the  whole  nation.  South  as  well  as  North, 
should  see  that  he  meant  what  he  said ;  that  the 
whole  object  of  the  war  was  to  put  down  an  armed 
rebellion ;  and  that  as  soon  as  the  Rebels  were  will- 
ing to  lay  down  their  arms  and  obey  the  laws  of  the 
land,  the  war  would  no  longer  exist.  The  slave  States 
which  had  not  yet  joined  the  rebellion,  and  which 
were  called  the  border  States,  could  not  help  seeing 
that  the  President  was  sincere ;   so  instead  of  seced- 


200      TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham   Li)icoln. 

ing,  they  waited  to  see  what  he  would  do,  and  finally 
sent  a  great  many  Union  soldiers  into  the  field. 

At  first  fugitive  slaves  were  not  allowed  to  come 
within  the  lines  of  our  armies ;  but  when  this  could 
no  longer  be  prevented,  the  Government  proclaimed 
that  whenever  it  employed  the  slaves,  all  loyal  mas- 
ters should  be  paid  for  their  services.  Distinguished 
generals  also  proclaimed,  in  various  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, that  not  only  would  they  refrain  from  interfering 
with  slaves,  but  if  any  insurrection  should  arise 
among  them,  the  Union  army  would,  with  an  iron 
hand,  assist  to  crush  it.  President  Lincoln  thought 
that  by  being  thus  forbearing  and  patient  with  the 
South,  reason  would  after  a  time  get  the  better  of  her 
passions,  and  she  would  see  her  mad  folly  in  its  true 
light,  and  come  back  into  the  Union. 

But  all  this  kindness  of  the  President  did  not 
appear  to  have  any  good  eft"ect  upon  the  Rebels. 
They  not  only  fought  harder  than  ever  against  their 
country,  but  tried  to  make  England  and  France  be- 
lieve that  the  President  was  in  favor  of  slavery.  The 
President's  course,  however,  no  doubt  prevented  the 
border  States  from  joining  the  Rebellion,  and  thus 
it  was  a  very  wise  course ;  for  if  all  the  slave  States 
had  seceded,  probably  the  country  must  have  been 
ruined. 

The  President  pursued  this   mild  plan  toward  the 


TJie  "  Confiscation  Bill."  201 

Rebels  all  through  the  first  year  of  the  war  and  part 
of  the  second ;  but  by  and  by,  when  he  saw  how 
more  and  more  determined  the  Rebels  were,  he  be- 
gan to  think  the  good  of  the  whole  country  demanded 
that  more  vigorous  measures  should  be  undertaken. 
It  was  well  known  everywhere  that  the  slaves  were 
of  great  assistance  to  the  Rebels.  They  cultivated  the 
plantations  while  their  masters  were  gone  to  the  war. 
Many  of  them  were  also  at  work  digging  trenches  and 
building  fortifications,  thus  giving  the  South  many 
more  soldiers  than  she  would  have  had  if  white  men 
had  been  obliged  to  do  all  this  work. 

Congress  met  as  usual  in  December,  the  last  month 
of  the  year  1861,  and  all  through  the  winter  of  1861 
and  1862  held  a  great  many  discussions  upon  the 
growing  resistance  of  the  Rebels.  Various  measures 
were  proposed  to  weaken  their  power.  At  length  a 
very  important  bill  was  passed  called  the  "  Confisca- 
tion Bill."  This  bill  gave  the  Rebels  to  understand 
that  if  they  persisted  in  rebellion,  their  property 
would  be  seized  for  the  benefit  of  the  United  States, 
and  their  slaves  would  be  freed.  It  also  gave  the 
President  power  to  employ  as  many  persons  of  Afri- 
can descent  as  he  might  think  proper,  to  aid  in 
suppressing  the  Rebellion. 

There  had  been  an  active  and  influential  party 
at  the  North  which,  ever  since  the  contest  began,  had 


202      TJie  CJiildrejis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


loudly  asserted  that  slavery  was  the  whole  cause  of 
the  Rebellion,  and  that  the  only  way  to  end  the  war 
was  to  crush  slavery.  As  soon  as  this  bill  was 
passed,  the  President  was  beset  by  delegation  after 
delegation,  begging  him  immediately  to  emancipate 
every  slave  in  the  land,  to  arm  these  slaves  and  place 
them  in  the  Union  ranks,  and  so  end  the  war  at  once. 
Many  persons  called  him  slow,  and  accused  him  of 
being  very  remiss  in  his  duty  because  he  did  not 
pursue  this  course. 

But  the  President  never  did  anything  rashly.  No- 
body could  coax  or  threaten  him  into  doing  anything, 
until  he  saw  it  clearly  to  be  his  duty.  He  felt  that  he 
was  President  of  the  whole  United  States,  of  the 
South  as  well  as  the  North,  and  like  a  wise  father 
of  a  family  determined  that  every  member  of  it 
should  be  treated  fairly  and  justly,  however  bad  and 
rebellious  he  might  be.  And  so,  instead  of  being  vio- 
lent and  harsh,  and  declaring  right  off,  without  a  mo- 
ment's warning,  that  all  the  slaves  should  be  free,  he 
first  reasoned  in  the  kindest  and  calmest  manner  with 
the  slave-holders.  He  told  them  their  own  good 
sense  should  teach  them  that  if  the  war  continued, 
their  slaves  must  become  free ;  and  rather  than  have 
the  war  continue,  he  was  willing  to  buy  their  slaves, 
paying  a  fair  price  for  them.  He  sent  a  resolution 
to  Congress  to  the  same  effect. 


Proposition  to  buy  the  Slaves.  203 

The  President  thought  that  if  Congress  would 
make  such  an  offer,  perhaps  the  border  States,  which 
had  not  yet  joined  the  RebelHon,  might  accept  it. 
He  thought  it  was  a  fair  offer  for  both  sides ;  for 
if  the  war  continued,  all  the  slaves  must  after  a  time 
become  free,  and  those  slave-holders  who  had  not 
joined  in  the  Rebellion  ought  to  be  paid  for  their 
slaves. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  told  Congress  it  would  not 
cost  so  much  to  buy  the  slaves  as  it  would  to  con- 
tinue the  war ;  so  the  proposition  would  be  as  much 
for  the  advantage  of  one  part  of  the  country  as  of  the 
other.  The  President's  idea  was  that  if  all  the  border 
States  should  free  their  slaves,  then  the  Rebel  States 
would  see  that  it  was  perfectly  certain  that  they 
would  never  join  them,  and  so  the  Rebels  would  be- 
come discouraged  and  give  over  the  contest.  Con- 
gress was  pleased  with  the  President's  resolution,  and 
adopted  it;  and  almost  all  the  loyal  people  approved 
of  it  too. 

The  President  was  determined  that  the  slave- 
holders should  have  a  fair  opportunity  to  accept 
this  offer  before  anything  more  decided  should  be 
done.  He  felt  very  anxious  indeed  that  they  should 
accept  it,  so  much  so  that  just  before  Congress  ad- 
journed he  invited  all  the  Senators  and  Representa- 
tives who  were  present  from  the  slave-holding  States 


204     ^■^^^  Childrciis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

to  come  and  see  him  at  the  White  House,  where  he 
could  talk  to  them  by  themselves.  He  urged  these 
Congressmen,  in  the  kindest  and  most  earnest  man- 
ner, upon  their  return  home,  to  try  to  persuade  the 
people  of  their  respective  States  to  accept  this  offer. 
His  whole  address  to  them  was  very  fine.  The  fol- 
lowing is  one  sentence  of  it:  — 

"  How  much  better  for  you  as  seller  and  the  nation  as 
buyer,  to  sell  out  and  buy  out  that  without  which  the  war 
could  never  have  been,  than  to  sink  both  the  thing  to  be 
sold  and  the  price  of  it  in  cutting  one  another's  throats  !  " 

The  Congressmen  Hstened  to  all  the  President  said, 
and  some  of  them  agreed  with  him;  but  the  greater 
part  of  them  did  not.  They  thought  no  excuse  could 
be  strong  enough  to  warrant  meddling  with  slavery. 
So  the  time  came  for  Congress  to  adjourn,  and  all 
the  Congressmen  went  home.  But  while  it  remained 
in  session,  two  very  important  things  were  done  about 
slaver}^  of  which  I  have  not  yet  told  you.  A  bill  was 
passed  declaring  that  slavery  should  never  exist  in 
any  of  the  Territories  of  the  United  States,  and 
slavery  was  abolished  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

You  will  remember,  children,  that  this  was  one  of 
the  things  Mr.  Lincoln  voted  for  the  first  time  he 
took  his  seat  in  Congress;  and  now,  when  he  was 
President,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  accom- 
plished. 


Emancipation  decided  upon.  205 

Congress  had  no  sooner  adjourned  than  the  Presi- 
dent was  assailed  harder  than  ever  on  all  sides,  by- 
private  letters,  by  the  public  press,  and  by  delega- 
tions, begging  him  to  emancipate  the  slaves. 

In  reply  to  all  this,  the  President  said  his  para- 
mount object  was  to  save  the  Union,  and  not  either 
to  save  or  to  destroy  slavery.  He  said:  "  If  I  could 
save  the  Union  without  freeing  any  slave,  I  would  do 
it ;  if  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  all  the  slaves,  I  would 
do  it;  and  if  I  could  do  it  by  freeing  some  and  leav- 
ing others  alone,  I  would  also  do  that."  This  was  the 
President's  first,  great,  and  only  object  in  all  that  he 
did  and  in  all  that  he  left  undone  throughout  the 
war,  —  to  '^  save  the  Union."  If  the  Union  were  de- 
stroyed, all  was  lost;  if  that  could  be  saved,  every- 
thing else  was  of  small  consequence  compared  with  it. 

At  last,  after  the  most  earnest  prayers  to  God  for 
direction,  and  the  most  calm  and  careful  deliberation 
of  the  whole  subject,  the  President  made  up  his  mind 
that  in  order  to  save  the  Union  he  must  do  that 
which  the  world  now  recognizes  was  the  crowning 
glory  of  his  life.  On  the  22d  of  September  he  issued 
his  proclamation,  to  take  effect  on  the  ist  of  January, 
1863,  freeing  the  slaves  of  all  persons  in  Rebellion 
against  the  United  States.  By  this  act  he  placed  his 
name  at  the  head  of  all  great  names,  down  to  the  end 
of  time.     He  had   been   battling  all   his   life   for  the 


2o6      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

freedom  of  all  men,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  simple- 
hearted  fidelity  God  placed  him  in  that  grand,  sublime 
position  where  by  a  stroke  of  his  pen  he  freed  a  whole 
race  for  all  time  to  come.  The  greatest  despot  never 
wielded  such  power  as  God  gave  to  our  Republican 
President.  The  following  is  the  most  important  part 
of  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  :  — 

"  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America  and  Commander-in-chief  of  the  army  and  navy 
thereof,  do  hereby  proclaim  and  declare  that  hereafter,  as 
heretofore,  the  war  will  be  prosecuted  for  the  object  of  prac- 
tically restoring  the  constitutional  relation  between  the  United 
States  and  each  of  the  States  and  the  people  thereof,  in  which 
States  that  relation  is  or  may  be  suspended  or  disturbed. 

"That  it  is  my  purpose,  upon  the  next  meeting  of  Con- 
gress, to  again  recommend  the  adoption  of  a  practical 
measure  tendering  pecuniary  aid  to  the  free  acceptance  or 
rejection  of  all  slave  States  so-called,  the  people  whereof 
may  not  then  be  in  rebellion  against  the  United  States,  and 
which  States  may  then  have  voluntarily  adopted,  or  there- 
after may  voluntarily  adopt,  immediate  or  gradual  abolish- 
ment of  slavery  within  their  respective  limits  ;  and  that  the 
effort  to  colonize  persons  of  African  descent,  with  their  con- 
sent, upon  this  continent  or  elsewhere,  with  the  previously 
obtained  consent  of  the  governments  existing  there,  will  be 
continued. 

"  That  on  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  all  persons  held 


PRESIDENT    LINCOLN    SIGNING   THE    EMANCIPATION 
PROCLAMATION. 


TJic  Emancipation  Proclamatio?t.  209 

as  slaves  within  any  State  or  designated  part  of  a  State,  the 
people  whereof  shall  then  be  in  rebellion  against  the  United 
States,  shall  be  then,  thenceforward,  and  forever  free  ; 
and  the  Executive  Government  of  the  United  States,  includ- 
ing the  military  and  naval  authority  thereof,  will  recognize 
and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  persons,  and  will  do  no 
act  or  acts  to  repress  such  persons,  or  any  of  them,  in  any 
efforts  they  may  make  for  their  actual  freedom." 

This  proclamation  created  a  great  excitement,  not 
only  all  over  this  country  but,  we  may  say,  all  over 
the  world.  All  the  President's  enemies  and  all  friends 
of  the  Rebels  said  it  was  now  plainly  to  be  seen  that 
what  they  had  always  declared  was  true,  —  that  the 
whole  object  of  the  war  was  to  oppress  the  Southern 
people  and  emancipate  the  slaves.  But  nearly  all 
the  loyal  people  regarded  it  as  a  necessary  war 
measure,  and  the  very  best  one  the  President  could 
have  taken  to  weaken  the  Rebellion.  The  first  day 
of  January  following,  the  President  issued  another 
proclamation  confirming  this,  and  designating  what 
portions  of  the  country  were  then  in  rebellion. 
Some  other  important  items  were  added,  and  the 
proclamation  closed  with  these  solemn  words:  — 

"  And  upon  this  act,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of 
justice,  warranted  by  the  Constitution  upon  military  neces- 
sity, I  invoke  the  considerate  judgment  of  mankind,  and  the 
gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God.*' 

14 


210     The  CJiildrcns  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  President  had  another  trouble  in  the  year 
1862.  You  will  remember  that  he  had  told  foreign 
nations,  from  the  beginning  of  the  war,  that  they 
must  not  encourage  the  Rebels  to  persist  in  rebel- 
lion. England  and  France  pretended  to  be  neutral, 
and  to  respect  what  the  President  said ;  but  for  all 
that,  the  Rebels  received  a  great  deal  of  help  from 
them.  One  of  the  most  annoying  things  these  na- 
tions did  was  to  allow  vessels  to  be  built,  manned, 
and  equipped  in  their  ports  for  the  service  of  the 
Rebels.  These  ships  were  built  by  private  individ- 
uals, and  matters  were  so  arranged  that  the  Govern- 
ments managed  to  shirk  all  blame. 

At  last  things  came  to  such  a  pass,  and  our  com- 
merce was  destroyed  to  such  an  extent,  that  our  min- 
ister to  England,  Mr.  Adams,  spoke  to  the  British 
authorities  about  it.  He  told  Lord  Russell  that  a 
vessel  was  at  that  very  moment  on  the  stocks  in 
a  Liverpool  ship-yard,  which  was  certainly  intended 
for  the  Rebels.  The  English  lord  told  Mr.  Adams 
that  he  was  never  more  mistaken  in  his  life ;  that  the 
ship  he  spoke  of  was  to  be  sent  to  Sicily.  Mr. 
Adams  knew  better,  but  he  could  not  convince  the 
earl  that  there  was  anything  wrong  about  the  ship ; 
so  she  sailed.  But  the  next  time  she  was  heard  from 
she  had  arrived  at  Nassau,  and  a  noted  pirate  had 
taken  command  of  her. 


The  '^Alabama."  211 


Probably  all  of  you  have  heard  of  the  famous  Con- 
federate cruiser,  the  "  Alabama."  Well,  she  was 
built  in  the  ship-yard  of  a  member  of  the  English 
House  of  Commons,  and  allowed  to  sail,  although 
our  minister  protested  against  it.  She  was  called  the 
"290"  at  first.  She  stole  quietly  out  of  port,  went 
to  the  Azores,  took  on  board  her  armament,  and 
began  her  career  as  a  Confederate  cruiser,  com- 
manded by  the  notorious  Captain  Semmes.  This 
was  more  than  the  President  could  stand ;  he  sent 
word  to  England  that  she  would  be  expected  to  pay 
for  all  the  damage  which  the  "Alabama"  inflicted 
on  our  commerce. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

Hooker  succeeds  Burnside. —  Fredericksburg. — Meade  suc- 
ceeds Hooker.  —  Gettysburg.  —  Vicksburg.  —  Port  Hud- 
son. —  Dedication  of  tlie  Battlefield  of  Gettysburg.  —  The 
President's  Thanksgiving  Proclamation. 

E  have  now  come  to  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1863.  Let  us  return  to  the  war  for  a 
Httle  time,  and  see  how  it  progressed 
during  that  period. 
General  Burnside  now  commanded  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac ;  but  he  was  reheved  on  the  24th  of  Jan- 
uary, and  General  Hooker  was  his  successor.  The 
season  was  too  far  advanced  for  active  operations ;  so 
the  army  went  into  winter  quarters  and  was  inactive 
until  the  following  April.  On  the  twenty-seventh  day 
of  that  month  General  Hooker  began  to  make  prepa- 
rations to  fight.  Our  army  was  north  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock, the  Rebels  south  of  it  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fredericksburg. 

Hooker   wished    to  take   Fredericksburg.     He  in- 
tended to  attack  the  enemy  in  flank  and  rear.     For 


Battle  of  Fredericksburg.  21 


J 


this  purpose  he  sent  out  a  strong  cavalry  force  under 
General  Stoneman,  to  cut  the  railroads  in  the  rear 
of  the  Rebels,  to  prevent  their  being  reinforced  from 
Richmond.  He  also  sent  three  divisions  of  his  army 
to  Kelley's  Ford,  which  is  about  twenty-five  miles 
above  Fredericksburg.  The  army  crossed  the  river, 
and  marched  south  as  far  as  Chancellorsville.  One 
division  was  left  opposite  Fredericksburg,  under  the 
command  of  General  Sedgwick.  The  others  crossed 
the  river,  and  joined  the  main  body  at  Chancellors- 
ville. 

On  the  second  day  of  May  General  Jackson,  who 
commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  Rebel  army,  at- 
tacked our  forces  on  the  right,  and  for  a  while  gained 
a  decided  advantage.  Before  the  day  was  out,  how- 
ever, our  men  had  regained  their  position.  The  next 
day  the  battle  was  continued,  and  the  enemy  got  the 
best  of  it.  In  the  mean  time  Sedgwick  had  crossed 
the  river  and  gained  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg, 
but  could  not  hold  them,  and  was  compelled  to 
retreat. 

During  the  night  of  May  5th  Hooker  recrossed  the 
river,  to  his  old  position,  having  lost  about  eighteen 
thousand  men.  Both  armies  now  remained  quiet 
until  the  9th  of  June,  when  it  was  discovered  that 
Lee  was  leaving  Fredericksburg  for  the  Shenandoah 


valley. 


214     ^^^^'  Children's  Life  of  Abraha?n  Line  obi. 

On  the  13th  the  Rebel  General  Ewell  completely- 
routed  our  advance  post  under  General  Milroy,  and 
on  the  next  day  the  Rebels  were  crossing  the  Poto- 
mac into  Maryland.  It  was  feared  that  they  intended 
to  invade  Pennsylvania.  They  had  always  declared 
they  would  yet  push  the  war  into  the  North,  and  it 
looked  now  as  if  they  were  intending  to  make  good 
their  threat.  The  whole  North  was  very  much  ex- 
cited. The  President  immediately  called  upon  the 
States  which  were  in  most  danger  to  send  a  hundred 
thousand  men  to  serve  for  six  months,  and  he  asked 
New  York  for  twenty  thousand. 

By  the  27th  the  whole  Rebel  army  had  crossed  the 
Potomac,  and  Lee  had  taken  up  his  headquarters  at 
Hagerstown.  As  soon  as  Hooker  had  discovered 
that  the  Rebels  were  leaving  Fredericksburg,  he  had 
broken  camp  and  pursued  them  ;  so  that  on  the  day 
the  Rebels  reached  Hagerstown,  our  army  was  at 
Frederick  City.  Our  forces  were  thus  between  the 
Rebels  and  Baltimore  and  Washington,  shielding 
those  cities  from  attack,  while  they  were  also  pre- 
pared to  pursue  the  enemy  into  Pennsylvania.  Gen- 
eral Hooker  was  now  relieved  from  his  command, 
and  General  Meade  was  his  successor. 

The  enemy  was  pushing  for  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania; and  Meade  immediately  started  in  pursuit. 
Generals    Reynolds    and   Howard,  commanding  our 


Battle  of  Gettysburg.  215 

advance  corps,  came  up  with  the  Rebels  on  the  first 
day  of  July,  near  the  town  of  Gettysburg.  An  attack 
was  made;  but  the  Rebels  so  far  outnumbered  us  that 
General  Howard  was  obliged  to  fall  back  to  Ceme- 
tery Hill  and  wait  for  reinforcements.  During  the 
night  and  the  following  day  our  forces  concentrated 
around  this  point. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Rebels 
commenced  a  most  terrific  attack  upon  us,  which 
lasted  until  sunset,  when  they  were  forced  to  retire  in 
confusion.  In  the  evening  they  made  a  fresh  attack, 
but  were  again  driven  back.  The  next  morning  they 
began  it  again,  with  no  better  success.  The  fight 
continued  nearly  all  day,  and  resulted  in  the  defeat 
of  the  enemy.  The  next  morning  it  was  thought  the 
Rebels  were  about  to  attack  again,  but  the  morning 
after  it  was  discovered  that  they  were  in  full  retreat. 
The  Sixth  Corps  and  a  body  of  cavalry  were  sent  in 
pursuit. 

After  burying  the  dead  and  taking  care  of  the 
wounded.  General  Meade,  having  learned  the  position 
of  the  Rebels,  decided  to  pursue  them  by  a  flank 
movement;  and  very  soon  his  whole  army  were  en 
route  for  the  Potomac.  On  the  12th  of  July  they 
came  up  with  the  Rebels,  who  had  gained  the  high 
lands  in  front  of  Williamsport.  Preparations  were 
made  to  attack  them ;   but  the   Rebels  succeeded  in 


2i6     TJic  CJiildrcji  s  Life  of  AbraJiaui  Lincoln. 

escaping  to  the  Rapidan,  and   our  arni}^  took  up   its 
old  position   on  the  Rappahannock. 

This  victory  at  Gettysburg  was  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  important  of  the  war ;  but  it  was  a  very 
bloody  one.  At  a  fearful  cost  of  life  the  Rebels  had 
been  driven  out  of  Pennsylvapia,  Maryland,  and  the 
upper  part  of  the  Shenandoah  valley.  They  did  not 
find  it  so  easy  a  matter  to  push  the  war  into  the 
North  as  they  had  anticipated.  President  Lincoln 
was  so  gratified  at  our  success  that  on  the  morning 
of  the  4th  of  July  he  sent  the  following  despatch  to 
us  all  from  the  White  House :  — 

"  The  President  announces  to  the  country  that  news  from 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  up  to  ten  p.  m.  of  the  3d  is  such 
as  to  cover  that  army  with  the  highest  honor,  to  promise  a 
great  success  to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  to  claim  the 
condolence  of  all  for  the  many  gallant  fallen ;  and  that  for 
this  he  especially  desires  on  this  day.  He,  whose  will,  not 
ours,  should  ever  be  done,  be  everywhere  remembered  and 
reverenced  with  profoundest  gratitude. 

"  A.  Lincoln." 

We  also  had  another  glorious  victory  on  this  day, 
that  the  President  did  not  yet  know  of.  General  Grant, 
who  had  been  fighting  on  stubbornly  ever  since  the 
war  began,  and  who  had  for  a  long  time  been  besieg- 
ing A^icksburg,  the  only  remaining  stronghold  of  the 
Rebels   on  the   Mississippi,  had  the  good  fortune  to 


Capture  of  Vicksburg.  217 


capture  it,  with  all  its  garrison  and  war  material,  on 
that  day.  Fort  Hudson  was  surrendered  to  General 
Banks  four  days  later,  and  thus  the  ivJiole  Mississippi 
River  was  ours.  This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the 
Rebels ;  for  we  had  now  cut  their  territory  into  two 
parts,  and  neither  part  was  able  to  assist  the  other. 
These  were  the  greatest  military  exploits  of  the  year. 
Some  time  during  the  autumn,  after  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  purchased  a 
part  of  the  battlefield  adjoining  the  cemetery  for 
a  burying-place  for  the  fallen  soldiers.  It  was  dedi- 
cated on  the  19th  of  November.  The  President  and 
his  Cabinet  were  present,  and  the  Hon.  Edward 
Everett  m.ade  an  eloquent  and  touching  address. 
The  President  also  spoke  the  following  beautiful 
words :  — 

"  Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth 
on  this  continent  a  new  nation  conceived  in  liberty,  and 
dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal. 
Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing  whether 
that  nation  or  any  nation  so  conceived  and  so  dedicated  can 
long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  l)attlefield  of  that  war. 
We  have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field  as  a  final 
resting-place  for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that 
nation  might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that 
we  should  do  this.  But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedi- 
cate, we  cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this  ground. 


2iS      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here,  have 
consecrated  it  far  above  our  poor  power  to  add  or  detract. 
The  world  will  little  note  nor  long  remember  what  we  say  here, 
but  it  can  never  forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us  the 
living,  rather,  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work 
that  they  who  fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  advanced. 
It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task 
remaining  before  us,  —  that  from  these  honored  dead  we 
take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  gave 
the  last  full  measure  of  devotion  ;  that  we  here  highly  resolve 
that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain  ;  that  the  nation, 
under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom  ;  and  that  gov- 
ernment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall 
not  perish  from  the  earth." 

The  success  at  Gettysburg  and  the  surrender  of 
Vicksburg  caused  the  most  enthusiastic  rejoicing. 
Public  meetings  were  held  all  over  the  land,  at  which 
cheers  were  given  and  speeches  made,  and  all  loyal 
persons  declared  that  the  war  must  be  vigorously 
prosecuted  until  the  Rebellion  should  no  more  exist. 

The  President  was  serenaded,  and  in  reply  he  made 
a  graceful  speech.  These  victories,  with  others  which 
were  gained  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  encour- 
aged the  President  so  much  that  he  appointed  the 
6th  of  August  as  a  day  of  national  thanksgiving. 
Our  armies  continuing  to  be  successful  during  the 
autumn,  the  President  appointed  another  thanksgiv- 


National  Thanksgiving.  219 


ing   for   the   last   day  of  November.     The  following 
is  the 

PROCLAMATION 
By  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  year  that  is  drawing  toward  its  close  has  been  filled 
with  the  blessings  of  fruitful  fields  and  healthful  skies.  To 
these  bounties,  which  are  so  constantly  enjoyed  that  we  are 
prone  to  forget  the  source  from  which  they  come,  others 
have  been  added  which  are  of  so  extraordinary  a  nature  that 
they  cannot  fail  to  penetrate  and  soften  even  the  heart  which 
is  habitually  insensible  to  the  ever  watchful  providence  of 
Almighty  God. 

In  the  midst  of  a  civil  war  of  unequalled  magnitude  and 
severity,  which  has  sometimes  seemed  to  invite  and  provoke 
the  aggressions  of  foreign  States,  peace  has  been  preserved 
with  all  nations ;  order  has  been  maintained,  the  laws  have 
been  respected  and  obeyed,  and  harmony  has  prevailed 
everywhere  except  in  the  theatre  of  military  conflict ;  while 
that  theatre  has  been  greatly  contracted  by  the  advancing 
armies  and  navies  of  the  Union.  The  needful  diversion  of 
wealth  and  strength  from  the  fields  of  peaceful  industry  to 
the  national  defence  has  not  arrested  the  plough,  the  shuttle, 
or  the  ship.  Tlie  axe  has  enlarged  the  borders  of  our  setde- 
ments ;  and  the  mines,  as  well  of  iron  and  coal  as  of  the  pre- 
cious metals,  have  yielded  even  more  abundantly  than  here- 
tofore. Population  has  steadily  increased,  notwithstanding  the 
waste  that  has  been  made  in  the  camp,  the  siege,  and  the 
battlefield  ;    and  the  country,  rejoicing  in  the  consciousness 


220     The  Cliildrciis  Life  of  AbvaJiam  Lincoln. 

of  augmented  strength  and  vigor,  is  permitted  to  expect  a 
continuance  of  years  with  large  increase  of  freedom. 

No  human  counsel  hath  devised,  nor  hath  any  mortal  hand 
worked  out  these  great  things.  They  are  the  gracious  gifts 
of  the  Most  High  God,  who,  while  dealing  with  us  in  anger 
for  our  sins,  hath  nevertheless  remembered  mercy.  It  has 
seemed  to  me  fit  and  proper  that  they  should  be  solemnly, 
reverently,  and  gratefully  acknowledged,  as  with  one  heart 
and  voice,  by  the  whole  American  people. 

I  do  therefore  invite  my  fellow-citizens  in  every  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  also  those  who  are  at  sea  and  those  who 
are  sojourning  in  foreign  lands,  to  set  apart  and  observe  the 
last  Thursday  of  November  next  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving 
and  prayer  to  our  beneficent  Father,  who  dwelleth  in  the 
heavens.  And  I  recommend  to  them  that  while  offering  up 
the  ascriptions  justly  due  to  Him  for  such  singular  deliver- 
ances and  blessings,  they  do  also  with  humble  penitence  for 
our  national  perverseness  and  disobedience  commend  to  His 
tender  care  all  those  who  have  become  widows,  orphans, 
mourners,  or  sufferers  in  the  lamentable  civil  strife  in  which 
we  are  unavoidably  engaged ;  and  fervently  implore  the  in- 
terposition of  the  Almighty  hand  to  heal  the  wounds  of  the 
nation,  and  to  restore  it,  as  soon  as  may  be  consistent  with 
the  Divine  purposes,  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  peace,  har- 
mony, tranquillity,  and  union. 


THANKSGIVING   DAY  —  HOME   AGAIN  ! 


CHAPTER    XXL 

The  French  Emperor.  —  Congress.  —  The  President's  Message. 

—  Arming  of  the  Blacks.  —  Conscription  Bill.  —  The  Draft. 

—  Riot  in  New  York.  —  Vallandigham.  —  Rebel  Rams. 


E  will  now  return  to  the  commencement  of 
the  year  1863,  and  see  what  else  the  Pres- 
ident had  to  occupy  his  attention.     You 
already  know  that  besides  military  affairs, 
foreign  nations  caused  him  a  great  deal  of  anxiety. 

Among  other  things  he  was  very  much  afraid  some 
of  them  would  recognize  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
as  a  nation.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  met  with  so 
many  reverses  in  the  year  1862,  that  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  talk  on  the  other  side  of  the  water 
about  the  necessity  for  somebody  to  interfere,  and 
put  a  stop  to  so  much  bloodshed. 

Finally,  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  the 
French  Emperor  invited  England  and  Russia  to  unite 
with  him  in  an  attempt  to  mediate  between  the 
United  States  and  the  Rebels.  But  England  and 
Russia  had  the   good  sense  to  decline  having  any- 


224     TJlc  CJiildrcii  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

thing  to  do  in  the  matter,  and  so  the  benevolent 
Emperor  thought  he  would  see  what  he  could  accom- 
plish by  himself. 

Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1863,  he  di- 
rected his  secretary  to  send  a  despatch  to  Washing- 
ton, in  which  the  Emperor  declared  he  was  willing  to 
do  anything  in  his  power  which  would  help  to  end 
the  war.  He  advised  that  instead  of  fighting  any 
more,  commissioners  from  both  sides  be  appointed  to 
talk  the  quarrel  over,  and  see  if  they  could  not  agree 
upon  some  terms  on  which  it  might  be  settled.  The 
Emperor  thought  this  would  be  an  excellent  way  to 
dispose  of  all  difficulties,  and  said  that  if  we  would 
adopt  it  he  would  not  take  the  least  credit  to  himself 
for  having  suggested  it. 

The  President  sent  word  back  to  the  Emperor  that 
we  were  very  much  obliged  for  his  friendly  intentions, 
but  for  the  present  we  were  perfectly  well  able  to 
take  care  of  ourselves ;  that  we  had  not  the  most  re- 
mote intention  of  ceasing  to  fight  while  the  Rebellion 
continued ;  and  that  if  the  Rebels  desired  to  send 
commissioners  to  talk  with  us,  all  they  had  to  do  was 
to  lay  down  their  arms,  go  home,  and  send  their 
Senators  and  Representatives  to  Congress.  This 
answer  silenced  the  French  Emperor  and  all  other 
nations  about  interfering  with  us. 

Congress  met  in  December,   1862,  and  the  Presi- 


TJic  P reside nf s  Messas^e.  225 


'<b' 


dent  sent  in  a  ver}'  interesting  Message.  You  will 
recollect  that  it  was  only  about  three  months  before 
this  that  he  issued  his  Emancipation  Proclamation ; 
and  his  heart  is  full  of  it,  and  also  of  his  plan  of  im- 
mediately buying  up  all  the  slaves  in  the  border 
States,  for  the  purpose  of  ending  the  war.  His  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  compensated  emancipation  is  logi- 
cal, and  you  shall  hear  a  portion  of  it.      He  says: 

"  A  nation  may  be  said  to  consist  of  its  territory,  its  peo- 
ple, and  its  laws.  The  territory  is  the  only  part  which  is 
of  certain  durability.  '  One  generation  passeth  away  and  an- 
other generation  cometh,  but  the  earth  abideth  forever.'  It 
is  of  the  first  importance  to  duly  consider  and  estimate  this 
ever-enduring  part. 

"  That  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  which  is  owned  and 
inhabited  by  tlie  people  of  the  United  States  is  well  adapted 
to  the  home  of  one  national  family ;  and  it  is  not  well 
adapted  for  two  or  more.  Its  vast  extent  and  its  variety 
of  climate  and  productions  are  of  advantage  in  this  age  for 
one  people,  whatever  they  might  have  been  in  former  ages. 
Steam,  telegraphs,  and  intelligence  have  brought  these  to  be 
an  advantageous  combination  for  one  united  people. 

"  In  the  inaugural  address  I  briefly  pointed  out  the  total 
inadequacy  of  disunion  as  a  remedy  for  the  differences  be- 
tween the  people  of  the  two  sections.  I  did  so  in  language 
which  I  cannot  improve,  and  which,  therefore,  I  beg  to 
repeat. 

"  One  section  of  our  country  believes  slavery  is  right  and 

15 


226     TJic  CJiildre7i  s  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 


ought  to  be  extended,  while  the  other  beUeves  it  is  wrong 
and  ought  not  to  be  extended.  This  is  the  only  substantial 
dispute.  The  fugitive-slave  clause  of  the  Constitution  and 
the  law  for  the  suppression  of  the  foreign  slave  trade  are 
each  as  well  enforced,  perhaps,  as  any  law  can  ever  be  in  a 
community  where  the  moral  sense  of  the  peoj^le  imperfectly 
supports  the  law  itself.  The  great  body  of  the  people  abide 
by  the  dry,  legal  obligation  in  both  cases,  and  a  itw  break 
over  in  each.  This,  I  think,  cannot  be  cured,  and  it  would 
be  worse  in  both  cases  after  the  separations  of  the  sections 
than  before.  The  foreign  slave-trade,  now  imperfectly  sup- 
pressed, would  be  ultimately  revived  without  restriction  in 
one  section  ;  while  fugitive  slaves,  now  only  partially  surren- 
dered, would  not  be  surrendered  at  all  by  the  other. 

"  There  is  no  line,  straight  or  crooked,  suitable  for  a  na- 
tional boundary  upon  which  to  divide.  Trace  through  from 
east  to  west  upon  the  line  between  the  free  and  slave  coun- 
try, and  we  shall  find  a  little  more  than  one  third  of  its  length 
are  rivers  easy  to  be  crossed,  and  populated,  or  soon  to  be 
populated,  thickly  upon  both  sides,  while  nearly  all  its 
remaining  length  are  merely  surveyor's  lines,  over  which 
people  may  walk  back  and  forth  without  any  consciousness 
of  their  presence.  No  part  of  this  line  can  be  made  any 
more  difficult  to  pass  by  writing  it  down  on  paper  or  parch- 
ment as  a  national  boundary.  The  fact  of  separation,  if  it 
comes,  gives  up  on  the  part  of  the  seceding  section  the  fugi- 
tive-slave clause,  along  with  all  other  constitutional  obliga- 
tions upon  the  section  seceded  from,  while  I  should  expect 
no  treaty  stipulation  would  ever  be  made  to  take  its  place. 


The  Folly  of  National  Division.  227 


"  But  there  is  another  difficulty.  The  great  interior  region, 
bounded  east  by  the  Alleghanies,  north  by  the  British  domin- 
ions, west  by  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  south  by  the  line 
along  which  the  culture  of  corn  and  cotton  meets,  and  which 
includes  part  of  Virginia,  part  of  Tennessee,  all  of  Kentucky, 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Kan- 
sas, Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  the  Territories  of  Dakota,  Ne- 
braska, and  part  of  Colorado,  already  has  above  ten  millions 
of  people,  and  will  have  fifty  millions  within  fifty  years,  if  not 
prevented  by  any  political  folly  or  mistake. 

••  It  contains  more  than  one  third  of  the  country  owned 
by  the  United  States,  —  certainly  more  than  one  million  of 
square  miles.  Once  half  as  populous  as  Massachusetts 
already  is,  it  would  have  more  than  seventy-five  millions  of 
people.  A  glance  at  the  map  shows  that,  territorially  speak- 
ing, it  is  the  great  body  of  the  republic.  The  other  parts 
are  but  marginal  borders  to  it.  the  magnificent  region  sloping 
west  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  being  the 
deepest  and  also  richest  in  undeveloped  resources.  In  the 
production  of  provisions,  grains,  grasses,  and  all  which  pro- 
ceed from  them,  this  great  interior  region  is  naturally  one  of 
the  most  important  in  the  world. 

"  Ascertain  from  the  statistics  the  small  proportion  of  the 
rcLjion  which  has  as  yet  been  brought  into  cultivation,  and 
also  the  large  and  rapidly  increasing  amount  of  its  products, 
and  we  shall  be  overwhelmed  with  the  magnitude  of  the 
prospect  presented.  And  yet  this  region  has  no  sea-coast, 
touches  no  ocean  anywhere.  As  part  of  one  nation  its  peo- 
ple now  find  and  may  forever  find  their  way  to  Europe  by 


228     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

New  York,  to  South  America  and  Africa  by  New  Orleans, 
and  to  Asia  by  San  Francisco.  But  separate  our  common 
country  into  two  nations,  as  designed  by  the  present  Rebel- 
lion, and  every  man  of  this  great  interior  region  is  thereby 
cut  off  from  some  one  or  more  of  these  outlets,  not  perhaps 
by  a  physical  barrier,  but  by  embarrassing  and  onerous  trade 
regulations. 

"  And  this  is  true  wherever  a  dividing  or  boundary  line  may 
be  fixed.  Place  it  between  the  now  free  and  slave  country, 
or  place  it  south  of  Kentucky  or  north  of  Ohio,  and  still  the 
truth  remains  that  none  south  of  it  can  trade  to  any  port  or 
place  north  of  it,  and  none  north  of  it  can  trade  to  any  port 
or  place  south  of  it,  except  upon  terms  dictated  by  a  govern- 
ment foreign  to  them.  These  outlets  east,  west,  and  south 
are  indispensable  to  the  well-being  of  the  people  inhabiting 
and  to  inhabit  this  vast  interior  region.  Which  of  the  three 
may  be  best  is  no  proper  question.  All  are  better  than 
either,  and  all  of  right  belong  to  that  people  and  to  their 
successors  forever.  True  to  themselves,  they  will  not  ask 
where  a  line  of  separation  shall  be,  but  will  vow  rather  that 
there  shall  be  no  such  hne.  Nor  are  the  marginal  regions 
less  interested  in  these  communications  to  and  through  them 
to  the  great  outside  world.  They,  too,  and  each  of  them, 
must  have  access  to  this  Egypt  of  the  West,  without  paying 
toll  at  the  crossing  of  any  national  boundary. 

"  Our  strife  springs  not  from  our  permanent  part,  not  from 
the  land  we  inhabit,  not  from  our  national  homestead. 
There  is  no  possible  severing  of  this  but  would  multiply  and 
not   mitigate   evils  among  us.      In   all   its   adaptations   and 


Proposition  for  Gradital  Emancipatioii.       229 

aptitudes  it  demands  union  and  abhors  separation.  In  fact, 
it  would  erelong  force  reunion,  liowever  much  of  blood  and 
treasure  the  separation  might  have  cost. 

"  Our  strife  pertains  to  ourselves,  to  the  passing  genera- 
tions of  men,  and  it  can  without  convulsion  be  hushed 
forever  with  the  passing  of  one  generation." 

The  President  now  proposes  that  amendments  be 
made  to  the  Constitution,  which  shall  guarantee  that 
every  State  which  shall  abolish  slavery  before  the 
year  1900  shall  be  paid  for  every  slave  out  of  the 
public  funds.  But  if  any  State,  after  being  paid  for 
her  slaves,  should  again  tolerate  slavery,  she  must 
pay  all  the  money  back.  Also,  that  all  slaves  who 
shall  enjoy  freedom  by  the  chances  of  the  war  shall 
be  forever  free ;  but  all  loyal  owners  shall  be  paid  for 
them,  only  no  slave  must  be  paid  for  twice.  Also, 
that  Congress  may  appropriate  money  for  the  coloni- 
zation of  free  colored  persons. 

This  is  the  substance  of  what  the  President  wanted 
to  have  done ;  and  now  you  shall  hear  his  own 
reasons  for  desiring  it :  — 

"  Without  slavery  the  Rebellion  could  never  have  existed, 
without  slavery  it  could  not  continue.  Among  the  friends 
of  the  Union  there  is  a  great  diversity  of  sentiment  and  of 
policy  in  regard  to  slavery  and  the  African  race  among  us. 
Some  would  perpetuate  slavery,  some  would  abolish  it  sud- 
denly and    without    compensation,   some    would    abolish    it 


230      The  C J  did  yen's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

gradually  and  with  compensation,  some  would  remove  the 
freed  people  from  us,  and  some  would  retain  them  with  us ; 
and  there  are  yet  other  minor  diversities.  Because  of  these 
diversities  we  waste  much  strength  among  ourselves.  By 
mutual  concession  we  should  harmonize  and  act  together. 
This  would  be  compromise,  but  it  would  be  compromise 
among  the  friends  and  not  with  the  enemies  of  the  Union. 

"  These  articles  are  intended  to  embody  a  plan  of  such 
mutual  concessions.  If  the  plan  shall  be  adopted,  it  is  as- 
sumed that  emancipation  will  follow  in  at  least  several  of  the 
States.  In  a  certain  sense  the  liberation  of  slaves  is  the 
destruction  of  property,  —  property  acquired  by  descent  or 
purchase,  the  same  as  any  other  property. 

"  It  is  no  less  true  for  having  been  often  said,  that  the 
people  of  the  South  are  not  more  responsible  for  the  original 
introduction  of  this  property  than  are  the  people  of  the 
North  ;  and  when  it  is  remembered  how  unhesitatingly  we 
all  use  cotton  and  sugar,  and  share  the  profits  of  dealing  in 
them,  it  may  not  be  quite  safe  to  say  that  the  South  has  been 
more  responsible  than  the  North  for  its  continuance.  If, 
then,  for  a  common  object  this  property  is  to  be  sacrificed, 
is  it  not  just  that  it  be  done  at  a  common  charge  ? 

"  And  if  with  less  money,  or  money  more  easily  paid,  we 
can  preserve  the  benefits  of  the  Union  by  this  means  than 
we  can  by  the  war  alone,  is  it  not  also  economical  to  do  it? 
Let  us  consider  it,  then.  Let  us  ascertain  the  sum  we  have 
expended  in  the  war  since  compensated  emancipation  was 
proposed  last  March,  and  consider  whether,  if  that  measure 
had   been   promptly   accepted   by   even   some   of   the   slave 


The  Economy  of  Gradual  Emancipation.     231 

States,  tiie  same  sum  would  not  have  done  more  to  close 
the  war  than  has  been  otherwise  done.  If  so,  the  measure 
would  save  money  and,  in  that  view,  would  be  a  prudent  and 
economical  measure.  Certainly,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  pay 
something  as  it  is  to  pay  nothing ;  but  it  is  easier  to  j)ay  a 
large  sum  than  it  is  to  pay  a  larger  one.  And  it  is  easier  to 
pay  any  sum  when  we  are  able,  than  it  is  to  pay  it  before  we 
are  able.  The  war  requires  large  sums  and  requires  them 
at  once. 

'•The  aggregate  sum  necessary  for  compensated  emanci- 
pation of  course  would  be  large.  But  it  would  require  no 
ready  cash,  nor  the  bonds  even,  any  faster  than  the  emanci- 
pation progresses.  This  might  not,  and  probably  would  not, 
close  before  the  end  of  the  thirty-seven  years.  At  that  time 
we  shall  probably  have  a  hundred  millions  of  people  to  share 
the  burden,  instead  of  thirty-one  millions  as  now. 

"  This  plan  is  recommended  as  a  means,  not  in  exclusion 
of,  but  additional  to,  all  others  for  restoring  and  preserving 
the  national  authority  throughout  the  Union.  The  subject 
is  presented  exclusively  in  its  economical  aspect.  The  plan 
would,  I  am  confident,  secure  peace  more  speedily,  and 
maintain  it  more  permanently,  than  can  be  done  by  force 
alone ;  while  all  it  would  cost,  considering  amounts  and 
manner  of  payment  and  times  of  payment,  would  be  easier 
paid  than  will  be  the  additional  cost  of  the  war,  if  we  solely 
rely  upon  force.  It  is  much,  very  much,  that  it  woiild  cost 
710  blood  at  all. 

"  I  do  not  forget  the  gravity  which  should  characterize  a 
paper  addressed  to  the  Congress  of  the  nation  by  the  chief 


232      The  Children's  Life  of  Abrahain  Lincoln. 


magistrate  of  the  nation.  Nor  do  I  forget  that  some  of  you 
are  my  seniors,  nor  that  many  of  you  have  more  experience 
than  I  in  the  conduct  of  pubUc  affairs.  Yet  I  trust  that  in 
view  of  the  great  responsibility  resting  upon  me,  you  will 
perceive  no  want  of  respect  to  yourselves  in  any  undue 
earnestness  I  may  seem  to  display. 

"Is  it  doubted,  then,  that  the  plan  I  propose,  if  adopted, 
would  shorten  the  war,  and  thus  lessen  its  expenditure  of 
money  and  of  blood  ?  Is  it  doubted  that  it  would  restore 
the  national  authority  and  national  prosperity,  and  perpetuate 
both  indefinitely?  Is  it  doubted  that  we  here  —  Congress 
and  Executive  —  can  secure  its  adoption  ?  Will  not  the 
good  people  respond  to  a  united  and  earnest  appeal  from 
us  ?  Can  we,  can  they,  by  any  other  means  so  certainly  or 
so  speedily  assure  these  vital  objects?  We  can  succeed 
only  by  concert.  It  is  not,  '  Can  any  of  us  imagine  better?' 
but,  '  Can  we  all  do  better  ?  ' 

"  Object  whatsoever  is  possible,  still  the  question  recurs, 
'Can  we  do  better?  '  The  dogmas  of  the  quiet  past  are  in- 
adequate to  the  stormy  present.  The  occasion  is  piled  high 
with  difficulty,  and  we  must  rise  with  the  occasion.  As  our 
case  is  new,  so  we  must  think  anew  and  act  anew.  We  must 
disinthrall  ourselves,  and  then  we  shall  save  our  country. 

"  Fellow-citizens,  we  cannot  escape  history.  We  of  this 
Congress  and  this  Administration  shall  be  remembered  in 
spite  of  ourselves.  No  personal  significance  or  insignifi- 
cance can  spare  one  or  another  of  us.  The  fiery  trial 
through  which  we  pass  will  light  us  down  in  honor  or  dis- 
honor to  the  latest  generation.     We  say  that  we  are  for  the 


The  First  Enrolment  of  Negroes.  233 

Union.  The  world  will  not  forget  tliat  we  say  this.  We 
know  how  to  save  the  Union.  The  world  knows  we  do 
know  how  to  save  it.  We,  even  we  here,  hold  the  power 
and  bear  the  responsibility.  In  giving  freedom  to  the  slave 
we  assure  freedom  to  the  free,  honorable  alike  in  what  we 
give  and  what  we  preserve.  We  shall  nobly  save  or  meanly 
lose  the  last,  best  hope  of  earth.  Other  means  may  succeed  ; 
this  could  not,  cannot  fail.  The  way  is  plain,  peaceful,  gen- 
erous, just,  —  a  way  which,  if  followed,  the  worhl  null  forever 
applaud  and  God  must  forever  bless. 

"  Abraham  Lincoln." 

During  this  session  of  Congress  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  discussion  whether  negroes  should  be  armed 
and  employed  as  soldiers.  Many  of  the  Congress- 
men were  very  much  opposed  to  it;  but  at  length  it 
was  decided  to  try  the  experiment,  and  before  the 
end  of  the  year  there  were  a  hundred  thousand  black 
men  in  the  service  of  the  United  States.  This  Con- 
gress passed  another  very  important  bill  for  the  pro- 
secution of  the  war,  called  the  Conscription  Bill.  This 
bill  gave  the  President  power  to  create  a  national 
army  by  enrolling  and  drafting  the  militia  of  the 
whole  country.  Every  State  was  required  to  raise  its 
quota  of  men  according  to  its  population.  When  this 
great  army  was  raised,  it  was  to  be  entirely  at  the 
control  of  the  President. 

By  this  act  all  able-bodied  men  who  were  citizens, 


234      Tlie   Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

or  who  had  declared  their  intention  of  becoming  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States,  between  the  ages  of  twenty 
and  forty-tive  years,  were  hable  to  be  drafted  as 
soldiers.  Those  who  chose  to  pay  three  hundred 
dollars  or  furnish  a  substitute  could  remain  at  home. 
There  were  also  some  other  exemptions,  such  as  the 
only  son  of  a  widow,  or  the  only  son  of  aged  and  in- 
firm parents,  who  were  dependent  on  their  boy  for 
support. 

The  draft  was  ordered  to  take  place  in  July,  and  it 
was  publicly  proclaimed  how  many  men  each  State 
would  be  required  to  furnish.  As  a  general  thing  the 
loyal  people  approved  of  the  draft,  and  thought  it  was 
the  best  and  fairest  way  to  raise  men  to  carry  on  the 
war.  Volunteering  was  not  nearly  so  brisk  as  when 
the  contest  commenced,  and  it  was  feared  that  men 
enough  could  not  be  raised  in  that  way  who  would  re- 
main till  the  end  of  the  war.  Some  of  the  President's 
enemies,  however,  made  a  great  noise  about  the  draft, 
and  said  it  was  a  very  despotic  measure,  because  it  fa- 
vored the  rich  and  oppressed  the  poor.  "  Any  rich 
man,"  said  they,  "  can  pay  his  three  hundred  dollars 
and  stay  at  home ;  but  if  a  poor  man  be  drafted, 
he  must  go  whether  he  wants  to  or  not."  But  these 
srumblers  did  not  do  much  mischief,  and  the  draft 
went  quietly  on  in  all  places  but  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago. At  New  York  there  was  a  shameful  riot  and 
mob. 


Draft  Riots  in  New   York.  237 

The  names  of  ail  the  men  hable  to  be  drafted  were 
written  down  and  placed  in  a  wheel.  A  man  ap- 
pointed to  draw  the  names  was  blindfolded,  and 
every  precaution  was  taken  to  prevent  cheating. 
The  wheel  was  turned,  and  as  many  names  as  were 
required  were  drawn  from  the  whole  number.  It  was 
like  a  lottery;  nobody  knew  whether  he  should  be 
drafted  or  not  till  his  name  was  called.  But  nearly 
everybody  took  the  matter  very  good-naturedly,  and 
most  of  those  who  were  drafted  went;  but  some  paid 
the  three  hundred  dollars  and  stayed  at  home. 

In  New  York,  however,  as  I  told  you,  things  did 
not  go  on  very  smoothly.  The  draft  began  there  on 
the  nth  of  July,  which  was  Saturday.  No  disturb- 
ance occurred  on  that  day;  but  on  Sunday  some  bad 
men  put  their  heads  together  to  see  if  they  could 
break  up  the  draft,  which  was  no  sooner  commenced 
on  Monday  morning  than  a  gang  of  these  fellows 
burst  into  one  of  the  buildings  where  the  business 
was  going  on,  broke  the  wheel  in  pieces,  tore  up  the 
lists  of  names,  and  set  the  ofifice  on  fire.  The  excite- 
ment quickly  spread  all  over  the  city.  The  police 
did  their  best  to  restrain  it,  but  they  were  almost 
.powerless  against  such  an  angry  mob  as  were  now 
filling  the  streets.  The  city  authorities  called  out 
the  militia,  but  unfortunately  there  were  but  very  few 
soldiers  available.     Nearly  all  had  gone  to  Pennsyl- 


238     The  Childyen  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

vania  to  repel  Lee's  invasion ;  for  you  will  remem- 
ber this  was  only  a  few  days  after  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg. 

The  mob  knew  the  city  was  in  a  crippled  condi- 
tion, and  took  advantage  of  it,  and  for  a  time  got  the 
upper  hand.  Indeed,  for  four  whole  days  they 
seemed  to  have  everything  their  own  way.  They 
burned  building  after  building,  among  others  an  or- 
phan asylum  for  colored  children.  Negroes  were 
hanged,  beaten  to  death,  and  mutilated  in  various  ways. 
Bands  of  ruffians  paraded  the  streets,  demanding 
money  and  ordering  places  of  business  to  be  closed, 
and  all  sorts  of  outrages  were  committed,  till  no  man 
felt  that  either  his  life  or  his  money  was  safe.  The 
police  and  the  few  remaining  soldiers  did  their  duty 
most  manfully,  and  after  a  time  the  regiments  began 
to  return  from  Pennsylvania  to  help  them  ;  so  that 
peace  and  order  were  at  length  restored. 

Of  course  during  the  riot  the  draft  could  not  pro- 
ceed. It  was  resumed,  however,  in  a  few  weeks;  and 
as  the  mob  knew  that  the  city  was  now  in  a  position 
to  defend  itself,  no  more  opposition  was  made. 
Some  little  trouble  occurred  at  Chicago,  but  nothing 
of  consequence;  and  in  all  other  parts  of  the  country 
the  draft  proceeded  quietly  and  pleasantly. 

You  will  remember,  children,  that  one  of  the  Pres- 
ident's vexatious  trials  was  having  to  contend  with 


Trial  and  Sentence  of  Vallandigham.       239 

Rebel  sympathizers.  One  of  the  most  prominent  of 
these  men  was  the  Hon.  C.  L.  Vallandigham,  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Ohio.  This  man  had  been 
very  troublesome  in  Congress,  opposing  all  measures 
that  were  adopted  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  was  bolder  than  ever,  and 
went  about  denouncing  the  Government. 

He  made  a  speech  one  day,  in  which  he  declared 
that  the  war  was  not  carried  on  to  restore  the  Union, 
but  to  crush  out  liberty  and  establish  despotism.  He 
said  its  object  was  to  enslave  the  whites  and  free  the 
blacks ;  that  the  Government  could  have  had  peace 
long  ago,  if  it  had  desired  it;  that  it  ought  to  have 
accepted  the  mediation  of  France ;  and  that  it  had 
deliberately  refused  propositions  by  which  the  South 
might  have  been  brought  back  into  the  Union.  Mr. 
Vallandigham  also  denounced  an  order  of  General 
Burnside,  who  commanded  the  department  in  which 
this  traitor  lived,  and  said  he  intended  to  disobey  this 
order  himself.  He  called  upon  all  who  heard  him  to 
disobey  it  also  and  prevent  it  from  being  executed. 

General  Burnside,  hearing  of  these  things,  ordered 
Mr.  Vallandigham  to  be  arrested  and  tried  before  a 
court-martial  at  Cincinnati.  Upon  this  Vallandigham 
appealed  to  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus;  but  Judge 
Stewart  refused  to  grant  the  writ,  because  he  said 
General  Burnside  had  only  done  what  was  necessary 


240      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

for  the  public  safety.  Judge  Stewart  said  :  "  Those 
who  hve  under  the  protection  and  enjoy  the  bless- 
ings of  our  benignant  Government  must  learn  that 
they  cannot  stab  its  vitals  with  impunity."  The  court- 
martial  found  Vallandigham  guilty,  and  sentenced  him 
to  imprisonment  in  some  United  States  fortress.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  said  he  should  be  sent  to  Fort  Warren 
in  Boston  Harbor. 

The  President,  who  always  wished  to  be  as  merci- 
ful as  possible  to  everybody,  mitigated  this  sentence 
by  telling  Vallandigham  that  instead  of  being  im- 
prisoned he  might  go  within  the  Rebel  lines,  but 
must  not  return  within  the  Union  lines  until  the  war 
was  ended.  But  notwithstanding  the  President's 
kindness,  a  great  noise  was  made  by  his  enemies 
about  the  arrest  and  sentence  of  Mr.  Vallandigham. 
Meetings  were  held  denouncing  the  President's 
course,  calling  him  a  t}rant,  and  demanding  the 
return  of  Mr.  Vallandigham. 

In  reply  to  this,  the  President  said  it  was  well  known 
that  armed  combinations  had  been  formed  in  many 
places  to  resist  the  draft  and  to  resist  the  arrest  of 
deserters  from  the  army;  and  he  solemn)}- believed 
Mr.  Vallandigham  had  caused  this  hindrance  to  the 
military  more  than  any  other  one  person.  "  And." 
said  the  President.  "  must  I  shoot  a  simple-minded 
soldier  boy  who  deserts,  while  I  must  not   touch  a 


Close  of  the  Year  1863.  241 

hail-  of  a  wily  agitator,  who  induces  him  to  desert?  I 
think  to  silence  the  agitator  and  save  the  boy  is  not 
only  constitutional  but,  withal,  a  great  mercy. 

"  Nor  am  I  able,"  he  continues,  "  to  appreciate  the 
danger  apprehended  by  the  meeting,  that  the  Ameri- 
can people  will,  by  means  of  military  arrests  during 
the  Rebellion,  lose  the  right  of  public  discussion,  the 
liberty  of  speech  and  the  press,  the  law  of  evidence, 
trial  by  jury  and  habeas  corpus,  throughout  the  indefi- 
nite, peaceful  future  which,  I  trust,  lies  before  them, 
any  more  than  I  am  able  to  believe  that  a  man  could 
contract  so  strong  an  appetite  for  emetics,  during 
temporary  illness,  as  to  persist  in  feeding  upon  them 
during  the  remainder  of  his  healthful  life." 

We  shall  mention  only  one  more  item  of  the  year 
1863. 

During  the  summer  of  this  v^ear  it  was  discovered 
that  some  very  formidable  rams  were  being  built  in 
England,  which  were  evidently  intended  for  the  Reb- 
els. Our  minister,  Mr.  Adams,  had  spared  no  pains 
to  get  evidence  in  regard  to  these  iron-clads,  and  at 
length  told  Earl  Russell  that  if  they  were  permitted 
to  sail  as  other  ships  had  been,  the  United  States 
would  be  obliged' to  conclude  that  it  meant  war.  At 
first  England  declined  to  do  anything  about  the 
rams;  but  finally  changed  her  mind,  and  gave  orders 
that  they  should  not  leave  Liverpool. 

16 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

Congress.  —  Amnesty  Proclamation.  —  General  Grant.  —  Presi 
dential  Campaign.  —  Lincoln  re-elected.  —  His  Reception 
of  the  News. 


E  have  now  arrived  at  the 
dawn  of  the  year  1864. 
The  mihtary  events  of 
that  year  are  so  closely 
connected  with  those  of 
the  following  year  that 
they  cannot  well  be  told 
separately.  We  will 
therefore  hear  further 
about  the  doings  of  Con- 
gress and  the  plans  of 
the  President,  before  we 
return  to  the  story  of  the  war. 

Congress  met  at  the  usual  time,  in  the  last  month 
of  1863  ;  and  the  President  sent  in  his  annual  Message, 
in  which  he  offered  another  inducement  to  the  Rebels 
to  lay  down  their  arms  and  return  to  their  allegiance 
to  the  United  States.     This  is  called  the  Proclama- 


Proclamation  of  Amnesty.  243 


tion  of  Amnesty  (or  Pardon),  and  you  shall  have  the 
President's  own  words :  — 

"  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States,  do 
proclaim,  declare,  and  make  known  to  all  persons  who  have 
directly  or  by  implication  participated  in  the  existing  Rebel- 
lion, except  as  hereinafter  excepted,  that  a  full  pardon  is 
hereby  granted  to  them  and  each  of  them,  with  restoration 
of  all  rights  of  property,  except  as  to  slaves,  and  in  property 
cases  where  rights  of  third  parties  shall  have  intervened,  and 
upon  the  condition  that  every  such  person  shall  take  and 
subscribe  an  oath  and  thenceforward  keep  and  maintain  said 
oath  inviolate,  —  an  oath  which  shall  be  registered  for  per- 
manent preservation,  and  shall  be  of  the  tenor  and  effect 
following,  to  wit : 

'^ '  Ij  ,  do  solemnly  swear,  in  presence  of  Almighty 

God,  that  I  will  henceforth  faithfully  support,  protect,  and 
defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Union 
of  the  States  thereunder,  and  that  I  will  in  like  manner  abide 
by  and  faithfully  support  all  acts  of  Congress  passed  during 
the  existing  Rebellion  with  reference  to  slaves  so  long  and 
so  far  as  not  repealed,  modified,  or  held  void  by  Congress  or 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  and  that  I  will  in  like 
manner  abide  by  and  faithfully  support  all  proclamations  of 
the  President  made  during  the  existing  Rebellion  having 
reference  to  slaves,  so  long  and  so  far  as  not  modified  or 
declared  void  by  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court.  So  help 
me  God.' 

"The  persons  excepted  from  the  foregoing  provisions  are  : 


244     I'^^c  Children' s  Life  of  AbraJiani  Lijicolii. 

All  who  are  or  shall  have  been  civil  or  diplomatic  officers  or 
agents  of  the  so-called  Confederate  Government ;  all  who 
have  left  judicial  stations  under  the  United  States  to  aid  the 
Rebellion ;  all  who  are  or  shall  have  been  military  or  naval 
officers  of  the  so-cailed  Confederate  Government,  above  the 
rank  of  colonel  in  the  army,  or  of  lieutenant  in  the  navy;  all 
who  left  seats  in  the  United  States  Congress  to  aid  the  Rebel- 
lion ;  all  who  resigned  commissions  in  the  army  or  navy 
of  the  United  States,  and  afterward  aided  the  RebeUion  ;  and 
all  who  have  engaged  in  any  way  in  treating  colored  persons 
or  white  persons  in  charge  of  such  otherwise  than  lawfully  as 
prisoners  of  war,  and  which  persons  may  have  been  found  in 
the  United  States  service  as  soldiers,  seamen,  or  in  any  other 
capacity. 

"  And  I  do  further  proclaim,  declare,  and  make  known 
that  whenever,  in  any  of  the  States  of  Arkansas,  Texas, 
Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Flor- 
ida, South  Carolina,  and  North  Carolina  a  number  of  persons, 
not  less  than  one  tenth  in  number  of  the  votes  cast  in  such 
States  at  the  Presidential  election  of  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty,  eacli  having  taken  the 
oath  aforesaid  and  not  having  since  violated  it,  and  being 
a  qualified  voter  by  the  election  law  of  the  State,  existing 
immediately  before  the  so-called  act  of  secession  and  exclud- 
ing all  others,  shall  re-establish  a  State  government  which  shall 
be  Republican  and  in  no  wise  contravening  said  oath,  —  such 
shall  be  recognized  as  the  true  government  of  the  State  ;  and 
the  State  shall  receive  thereunder  the  benefits  of  the  consti- 
tutional provision  which  declares  that   'The  United  States 


TJie  President's  Desire  for  Peace.  245 

shall  guarantee  to  every  State  in  this  Union  a  Republican 
form  of  government,  and  shall  protect  each  of  them  against 
invasion  and,  on  application  to  the  Legislature  or  the  Ex- 
ecutive when  the  Legislature  cannot  be  convened,  against 
domestic  violence.'  " 

Thus,  you  see  that  although  the  enemies  of  the 
good  President  accused  him  of  prolonging  the  war 
for  his  own  purposes,  —  and  some  of  them  went  so 
far  as  to  declare  that  he  might  have  had  peace  long 
before  if  he  had  desired  it,  —  this  was  so  far  from 
being  true  that  he  was  constantly  planning  every 
means  he  could  think  of  to  induce  the  Rebels  to 
cease  fighting  before  they  were  conquered  and 
compelled  to  surrender. 

I  have  told  you  in  these  pages  of  the  various  ways 
in  which  he  tried  to  show  the  Southern  people  that 
they  could  gain  nothing  by  the  war,  but  in  the  end 
must  lose  everything,  slaves  and  all.  Now,  as  a  last 
resort,  he  told  them  that  if  they  would  only  take  this 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  and  keep  it,  he  would  pardon  them.  In  other 
words,  he  would  forget  that  they  had  ever  been 
Rebels,  —  for  amnesty  comes  from  a  Greek  word  which 
means  to  forget. 

The  President  therefore  said  to  the  Rebels  that  he 
would  never  remember  any  more  that  they  had  not 
been  all  the  time  the  best  of  citizens,  if  they  would 


246     TJic  Childj'Cfis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

take  the  oath  and  go  home  and  keep  it;  and  when 
one  tenth  of  all  the  legal  voters  in  any  State  then  in 
rebellion  had  done  this,  iJiey  should  constitute  the 
real  State,  and  could  make  a  new  State  Government 
and  be  admitted  to  their  old  privileges  in  the  Union. 
This  was  the  President's  plan  of  reconstruction. 

During  this  winter  Congress  talked  a  great  deal 
about  the  merits  of  General  Grant,  and  it  seemed  to 
be  the  prevailing  opinion,  not  only  in  Congress  but 
all  over  the  country,  that  he  was  the  greatest  military 
man  we  had.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1863, 
after  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  he  had  performed 
some  other  very  brilliant  exploits  in  the  West.  The 
President  was  so  pleased  with  the  General  that  he 
wrote  him  the  following  letter:  — 

Major-General  Grant  : 

Understanding  that  your  lodgement  at  Chattanooga  and 
Knoxville  is  now  secure,  I  wish  to  tender  you  and  all  under 
your  command  my  more  than  thanks,  my  profoundest  grat- 
itude, for  the  skill,  courage,  and  perseverance  with  whicli 
you  and  they,  over  so  great  difificulties,  have  effected  that 

important  object.     God  bless  you  all. 

A.  Lincoln. 

About  this  time  Congress  sent  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
General  Grant  and  his  officers  for  their  gallant  deeds, 
and  ordered  a  gold  medal  to  be  made  and  presented 
to  the  General  in  the   name  of  the  people   of  the 


Grant  conunissioned  Licntcnant-Gcneral.     247 

United  States.  This  medal  was  very  beautiful,  and 
a  mark  of  great  honor ;  but  still  greater  honors  were 
in  reserve  for  the  brave  General  who  had  done  so 
much  for  us. 

During  the  winter  Congress  resolved  to  restore  the 
grade  of  Lieutenant-General  in  the  army.  This  title 
had  never  been  conferred  upon  any  one  as  an  actual 
rank  in  time  of  war,  except  upon  General  Washing- 
ton. General  Scott  had  borne  the  title  by  brevet; 
that  is,  he  had  been  called  Lieutenant-General  as  an 
act  of  courtesy,  but  it  was  not  his  real  rank.  It  was 
now  proposed  to  bestow  it  upon  General  Grant.  His 
commission  bore  the  date  of  March  2,  1864;  and  a 
few  days  later  the  General  received  it  from  the  hands 
of  the  President  himself. 

The  time  was  now  approaching  for  a  new  Presi- 
dential campaign.  This  is  always  a  period  of  great 
excitement  even  in  the  calmest  times ;  and  that  it 
must  now  necessarily  happen  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
civil  war,  when  the  people  were  divided  into  all  sorts 
of  factions,  was  looked  upon  by  those  who  really 
loved  their  country  as  a  great  misfortune.  But  come 
it  must.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  By  the  terms 
of  the  Constitution  nobody  could  be  President  more 
than  four  years  at  a  time,  unless  re-elected. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  now  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  ad- 
ministration, and  in  the  month  of  November  some- 


248      The  Children's  Life  of  AhraJiani  Lincoln. 

body  must  be  chosen  to  fill  his  place.  You  already 
know  how  a  Presidential  campaign  is  conducted,  and 
how  the  President  is  chosen.  The  great  difficulty 
among  all  loyal  persons  at  this  time  was  to  decide 
who  should  be  the  candidate.  Men  who  truly  desired 
to  save  the  country  from  destruction  thought  this  was 
no  time  to  choose  any  person  because  he  represented 
a  particular  party,  but  rather  because  he  would  be 
the  best  man  to  carry  the  good  old  ship  of  the  Union 
safely  through  the  terrific  storm,  which  still  threat- 
ened to  dash  her  in  pieces  against  the  rocks. 

Who  was  wise  enough  to  be  the  pilot?  —  that  was 
the  question.  The  country  was  in  a  fearful  condi- 
tion. Nobody  could  venture  to  predict  when  the 
war  would  end.  The  Rebels  seemed  just  as  deter- 
mined as  ever,  and  for  aught  we  could  see  about 
as  strong.  The  people  were  heavily  taxed,  and  the 
big  national  debt  was  daily  growing  bigger,  because 
it  cost  so  much  to  carry  on  such  a  tremendous  war. 
England  kept  telling  us  that  we  were  crazy,  that  we 
could  never  pay  such  a  debt,  and  that  the  nation 
would  soon  be  bankrupt.  Some  bad  speculators  had 
raised  gold  to  an  unheard-of  price.  Thousands  of 
the  best  and  bravest  men  in  the  land  had  fallen  in 
battle,  and  the  Government  was  calling  for  thousands 
more.  Who  was  Avise  enough  to  stand  at  the  helm 
and  guide  the  ship  through  this  fearful  storm? 


Mr.  Lincoln  re-elected  to  the  Presidency .      249 

The  great  body  of  the  people  said :  "  Abraham 
Lincoln  shall  be  our  pilot  and  our  captain."  The 
boys  in  blue  said :  "  We  have  all  re-enlisted  to  see 
this  thing  through ;  and  *  Old  Abe '  must  re-enlist 
too.  '  Old  Abe  '  must  stay  in  the  White  House  until 
every  Rebel  climbs  down  and  agrees  to  behave  him- 
self and  obey  the  laws  of  his  country."  So  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  re-elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

When  the  President  was  told  that  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  re-election,  he  said,  with  childlike  simplicity, 
that  he  was  very  grateful  that  the  people  did  not 
deem  him  unworthy  of  his  position.  When  he  was 
told  that  he  was  re-elected  by  a  very  large  majority, 
he  said:  — 

"I  am  thankful  to  God  for  this  approval  of  the  people. 
But  while  deeply  grateful  for  this  mark  of  their  confidence 
in  me,  if  I  know  my  own  heart,  my  gratitude  is  free  from 
any  taint  of  personal  triumph.  It  is  no  pleasure  to  me  to 
triumph  over  any  one ;  but  I  give  thanks  to  the  Almighty  for 
this  evidence  of  the  people's  resolution  to  stand  by  free 
government  and  the  rights  of  humanity." 

His  opponent  was  General  McClellan,  who  had 
been  nominated  by  a  portion  of  the  Democratic 
party;  but  he  received  the  electoral  votes  of  only 
three  States,  as  a  great  many  Democrats  voted  for 
Mr.   Lincoln. 


250     TJie  Childreiis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Again  the  President  says :  — 

"  So  long  as  I  have  been  here  I  have  not  willingly  planted 
a  thorn  in  any  man's  bosom.  While  I  am  duly  sensible  to 
the  high  compliment  of  a  re-election,  and  duly  grateful,  as  I 
trust,  to  Almighty  God  for  having  directed  my  countrymen 
to  a  right  conclusion,  as  I  think,  for  their  good,  it  adds  noth- 
ing to  my  satisfaction  that  any  other  man  may  be  disap- 
pointed by  the  result.  .  .  .  May  I  ask  those  who  have  not 
differed  with  me  to  join  with  me  in  this  same  spirit  toward 
those  who  have  ?  .  .  .  And  now  let  me  close  by  asking  three 
hearty  cheers  for  our  brave  soldiers  and  seamen  and  their 
gallant  commanders." 

This  last  remark  was  addressed  to  some  clubs  that 
had  come  to  serenade  the  President.  Again,  the 
President  said  in  his  funny  way,  —  for  he  was  always 
ready  with  a  humorous  or  witty  remark,  ^ — that  he 
did  not  permit  himself  to  conclude  that  he  was  the 
best  man  in  the  country ;  but  he  was  reminded  of  the 
story  of  an  old  Dutch  farmer,  who  said  it  was  not 
best  to  swap  horses  when  crossing  a  stream. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Congress.  —  The  President's  Message.  —  A  Constitutional 
Amendment.  — The  Peace  Conference.  —  The  Second  In- 
auguration of  Lincoln. 

E  have  now  come  to  the  Congressional  ses- 
sion of  1 864-1 865.  The  President  recom- 
mended in  his  Message  that  Congress 
should  pass  an  act  which  the  Senate  had 
passed  at  the  previous  session,  but  which  failed  to 
pass  the  House,  submitting  to  the  States  an  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution  which  should  prohibit 
slavery  in  the  United  States.  He  closes  the  Message 
in  these  words  :  — 

"  I  repeat  the  declaration  made  a  year  ago,  that  while  I 
remain  in  my  present  position  I  shall  not  attempt  to  retract 
or  modify  the  Emancipation  Proclamation.  Nor  shall  I  re- 
turn to  slavery  any  person  who  is  free  by  the  terms  of  that 
proclamation,  or  by  any  of  the  acts  of  Congress.  If  the 
people  should,  by  whatever  mode  or  means,  make  it  an  ex- 
ecutive duty  to  re-enslave  such  persons,  another,  and  not  I, 
must  be  their  instrument  to  perform  it. 


252      The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


"  In  stating  a  single  condition  of  peace,  I  mean  simply  to  say 
that  the  war  will  cease  on  the  part  of  the  Government  when- 
ever it  shall  have  ceased  on  the  part  of  those  who  began  it." 

On  the  last  day  of  January  the  Constitutional 
amendment  abolishing  slavery  all  over  the  United 
States  passed  the  House.  The  vote  was  announced 
amid  the  greatest  excitement  and  most  uproarious 
applause.  I  believe  some  of  the  Congressmen  kissed 
each  other,  they  were  so  glad.  Cannons  roared,  bells 
rane,  and  banners  waved  all  over  the  land  as  soon  as 
the  telegraph  told  us  the  joyful  news.  A  great  crowd 
assembled  around  the  President's  mansion  to  congrat- 
ulate him. 

To  them  he  said :  "  This  amendment  is  a  king's 
cure  for  all  evils.  It  winds  the  whole  thing  up.  It 
is  the  fitting,  if  not  indispensable,  adjunct  in  the 
consummation  of  the  great  game  we  are  playing." 

This  amendment  had  passed  both  Houses  of  Con- 
gress, and  needed  now  to  be  adopted  by  three  fourths 
of  the  States  before  it  could  become  part  and  parcel 
of  the  Constitution.  Several  of  the  States  adopted  it 
immediately,  while  others  hesitated. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  great  deal  of  excite- 
ment among  the  people,  caused  by  rumors  that  the 
President  was  trying  to  negotiate  a  peace  with  Jeffer- 
son Davis.  The  foundation  for  the  story  was  this: 
Mr.  Francis  P.  Blair,  a  gentleman  of  great  experience 


Failure  of  Peace  Negotiations.  253 


in  political  life,  asked  Mr.  Lincoln  to  give  him  a  pass 
through  our  lines  to  Richmond  and  back.  The 
President  complied  with  this  request  When  Mr. 
Blair  reached  Richmond,  he  went  to  see  Jefferson 
Davis  and  other  prominent  Rebels. 

Upon  his  return  to  Washington  he  carried  a  written 
statement  from  Mr.  Davis,  that  he  was  willing  to  send 
a  commission  to  the  United  States,  or  receive  one 
from  them,  for  the  purpose  of  making  negotiations 
for  the  restoration  of  peace  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. Mr.  Blair  showed  this  statement  to  President 
Lincoln,  who  in  return  wrote  a  statement  that  he  was 
ready,  and  always  had  been,  to  receive  any  agent 
that  Mr.  Davis  might  choose  to  send  informally 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  peace  to  the  people  of 
our  couimon  cotmtry.  Mr.  Blair  went  back  to  Rich- 
mond, and  showed  this  statement  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
to  Jefferson  Davis. 

Mr.  Davis  saw  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  no  idea  of 
admitting  that  there  were  two  countries  or  two  gov- 
ernments within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  and 
that  no  person  whom  he  might  choose  to  send  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  talk  about  peace  would  be  received  in  any 
official  capacity,  but  only  as  a  private  individual.  So 
the  matter  ended  right  there. 

Alexander  H.  Stephens,  R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  and  J. 
A.  Campbell  were  permitted  by  the  President  to  pass 


2  54     ^/^^  CJiildrcjis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

within  our  lines  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  go  on  board 
a  steamer  anchored  in  Hampton  Roads.  On  the  3d 
of  February  Mr.  Seward  and  the  President  held  a 
conference  of  several  hours'  duration  with  these  gen- 
tlemen, but  nothing  came  of  it.  The  President's 
conditions  of  peace  were,  that  the  national  authority 
must  be  recognized  in  all  the  States,  that  all  the 
Rebel  armies  must  immediately  disband  and  go 
quietly  home,  and  that  slavery  must  be  abolished. 

The  Rebel  commissioners  went  back  and  reported 
to  Mr.  Davis,  who  said  he  scorned  to  accept  such 
propositions,  and  was  more  determined  than  ever  to 
fight  it  out.  The  President  had  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  any  good  could  result  from  this  conference  when 
he  consented  to  it.  But  he  allowed  it  to  take  place, 
in  order  to  convince  a  certain  class  of  people  in  the 
country  of  their  error  in  insisting  that  the  President 
might  have  peace  if  he  would  propose  proper  terms 
to  the  South.  But  Jefferson  Davis  had  always  said 
he  would  not  accept  any  terms  but  the  independence 
of  the  Confederate  States ;  and  to  satisfy  everybody 
that  this  was  true,  the  President  decided  to  see  the 
so-called  commissioners  himself 

And  now  the  4th  of  March  drew  on,  the  time  for 
Mr.  Lincoln's  second  inauguration.  Much  had  hap- 
pened during  the  last  four  years.  You  will  remember 
that    at    the    time    of   his   first   inauguration   he   was 


The  Second  Ijiauguratiou  of  Mr.  Li}icohi.     255 


guarded  by  a  band  of  soldiers,  lest  his  life  should  be 
taken  before  he  was  sworn  into  office.  He  was  then 
an  unknown  man.  His  best  friends  and  warmest  sup- 
porters scarcely  dared  to  hope  that  he  would  be  equal 
to  the  terrible  emergency  which  all  saw  was  at  hand ; 
and  his  enemies  not  only  hated  him  bitterly  but  ridi- 
culed him  as  being  ignorant  and  obscure,  and  wholly 
unfit  for  any  public  position. 

But  four  years  of  the  most  difficult  administration 
of  government  that  any  man  in  the  world  ever  expe- 
rienced had  made  every  one  acquainted  with  the 
pure,  noble-hearted,  wise,  honest,  rare,  Christian  pa- 
triot, whom  God  in  his  great  mercy  had  given  us  for 
a  leader  in  those  perilous  times.  Now  he  stood  be- 
fore the  assembled  multitude  as  the  chosen  ruler  of 
thirty  millions  of  people,  looked  up  to  and  trusted  in 
as  no  man  since  Washington  had  ever  been.  Indeed, 
at  that  moment  I  think  we  can  say  without  exaggera- 
tion that  x-\braham  Lincoln  possessed  more  power, 
and  certainly  was  better  loved,  than  any  other  one 
man  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  What  a  lesson  his 
public  life  teaches !  His  greatness  came  from  his 
thorough   goodness. 

His  second  inaugural  address  has  been  pronounced 
the  most  perfect  state  paper  that  ever  was  written ; 
you  shall  have  opportunity,  therefore,  to  read  the 
whole  of  it.     It  is  as  follows  :  — 


258     TJie  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and 
until  every  drop  of  blood  drawn  with  the  lash  shall  be  paid 
by  another  drawn  with  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand 
years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be  said  that  "the  judgments  of  the 
Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." 

With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firm- 
ness in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us 
finish  the  work  we  are  in,  —  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds, 
to  care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle  and  for  his 
widow  and  his  orphans,  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and 
cherish  a  just  and  a  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and  with 
all  nations. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


General  Grant. —  General  Sherman. —  Grant's  Campaign  against 
Richmond.—  General  Sheridan.  —  Sherman's  Grand  March. 
—  Savannah.  —  Fort  Fisher.  —  Petersburg  and  Richmond 
Evacuated.  —  President  Lincoln  enters  Richmond. —  Sur- 
render of  Lee.  —  Celebrations.  —  The  President's  Last 
Speech. 

OW  we  will  return, 
in  our  story  of  the 
war,  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year 
1864.  There  had 
been  some  very 
brilliant  fighting 
in  the  West  in  the 
latterpart  of  1863, 
as  I  have  already 
told  you  ;  and  its 
results  are  very 
finely  and  comprehensively  stated  in  Grant's  con- 
gratulatory order  to  his  army.  General  Grant  said  to 
his  soldiers :  — 

"  In  a  short  time  you  have  recovered  from  the  enemy  the 
control  of  the  Tennessee  River  from  Bridgeport  to  Knoxville  ; 


26o     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

you  dislodged  him  from  his  great  stronghold  upon  Lookout 
Mountain,  drove  him  from  Chattanooga  valley,  wrested  from 
his  determined  grasp  the  possession  of  Missionary  Ridge, 
repelled,  with  heavy  loss  to  him,  his  repeated  assaults  from 
Knoxville,  forcing  him  to  raise  the  siege  there,  driving  him 
at  all  points,  utterly  routed  and  discomfited,  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  State." 

It  was  immediately  after  these  splendid  successes 
that  Grant  received  his  gold  medal. 

As  the  year  1864  dawned  upon  us,  the  public 
attention  was  especially  directed  to  the  movements 
of  the  two  great  armies,  that  of  the  Potomac  and  that 
of  the  West.  The  winter  was  spent  principally  in 
making  preparations  for  a  new  campaign.  The 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Meade,  lay  around  Culpepper  Court-House, 
anxious  to  make  another  demonstration  upon  Rich- 
mond. The  Army  of  the  West  was  making  prepara- 
tions for  its  grand  Southern  campaign. 

On  the  1 2th  of  March  the  President  placed  Grant, 
who  was  now  Lieutenant-General,  in  command  of  all 
the  armies  of  the  United  States.  Gen.  W.  T.  Sher- 
man was  appointed  to  succeed  Grant  in  command  of 
the  military  division  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  Lieutenant-General  determined  to  take  com- 
mand in  person  of  the  armies  which  were  to  assail 
Richmond.     Previous  to  doing  this,  he  arranged  with 


TJie  Campaign  against  Richmond.  261 

General  Sherman  a  plan  for  the  spring  and  summer 
campaign.  Sherman  was  to  move,  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible, at  the  same  time  as  Grant,  that  no  reinforce- 
ments might  be  sent  from  one  Rebel  army  to  the 
other.  Grant  was  to  move  upon  Richmond,  Sherman 
upon  Atlanta.  Great  preparations  were  necessary  for 
these  gigantic  undertakings,  but  both  generals  were 
ready  to  commence  operations  about  the  1st  of  May. 

General  Grant  was  now  prepared  to  take  the  field 
in  person  against  his  skilled  opponent,  General  Lee. 
Grant  had  a  magnificent  force  at  his  disposal,  consist- 
ing in  fact  of  three  armies,  —  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
under  Meade;  of  the  James,  under  Butler;  and  of 
the  Shenandoah,  under  Sigel.  These  three  armies 
were  stationed  at  different  points,  and  were  to  move 
in  different  directions ;  but  they  had  one  common 
object  in  view,  —  the  capture  of  Richmond.  The 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  the  honor  of  beginning 
the  contest. 

On  the  night  of  the  3d  of  May  it  had  orders  to 
break  camp,  and  the  next  day  it  commenced  its 
forward  march,  crossing  the  Rapidan  without  oppo- 
sition. This  movement  compelled  Lee  to  leave  his 
intrenchments,  and  come  out  and  give  battle,  which 
was  the  very  thing  Grant  intended  he  should  do. 
General  Grant  knew  that  the  true  way  to  take  Rich- 
mond and  crush  the  Rebellion  was  to  destroy  Lee's 


262      TJie  CJiildrcns  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

army,  and  he  intended  to  continue  to  fight  the  enemy 
until  he  had  accompHshed  his  object. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had 
crossed  the  Rapidan,  they  plunged  into  what  is  known 
as  "  The  Wilderness,"  a  very  difficult  tract  of  country 
for  a  battlefield,  being  covered  with  scrub  pines  and 
tangled  underbrush,  with  only  a  few  bad  roads,  mak- 
ing it  almost  impossible  to  use  artillery  or  cavalry. 
The  Rebels  had  the  advantage,  because  they  knew 
every  inch  of  the  country,  and  were  able  to  conceal 
their  movements. 

On  Thursday  the  terrible  battles  of  the  Wilderness 
commenced.  The  fighting  continued  till  late  into  the 
night  without  any  decided  advantage  on  either  side. 
At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  Lee  began  the  con- 
test again.  The  fighting  was  terribly  severe  this  day, 
and  toward  evening  Lee  succeeded  in  flanking  Grant; 
but  Grant  in  his  turn  flanked  Lee,  and  at  daylight 
Saturday  morning  it  was  discovered  that  Lee  was 
falling  back.  Grant  had  now  got  out  of  the  Wilder- 
ness into  the  open  country,  where  he  could  make 
use  of  his  artillery.  He  pursued  Lee,  and  came  up 
with  him  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  where  Lee 
had  taken  up  a  very  strong  position. 

During  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednes- 
day the  fighting  was  terrific,  without  any  decided 
result  on  either  side.     But  at  half-past  four  on  Thurs- 


The  Campaign  against  Richmond.  263 

day  morning  Hancock  made  a  tremendous  bayonet 
charee,  which  was  more  than  the  Rebels  could  stand. 
Hancock  won  the  day,  capturing  thirty  guns  and  four 
thousand  prisoners.  We  gained  some  other  successes 
on  this  day,  though  the  Rebels  fought  with  almost 
superhuman  courage.  They  kept  up  the  struggle 
till  three  o'clock  Friday  morning,  trying  to  retake  the 
positions  which  Hancock  had  gained.  On  Friday 
Lee  re-formed  his  lines ;  but  Grant  kept  up  with  him. 

Both  armies  now  rested  for  a  few  days,  and  were 
largely  reinforced.  On  the  i8th  Hancock  began 
again,  and  gained  two  lines  of  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments.  Grant  occupied  the  next  three  da}-s  in  mak- 
ing one  of  his  flank  movements,  which  was  successful. 

Lee  in  the  mean  time  had  taken  up  a  strong  posi- 
tion between  the  North  and  South  Anna  Rivers. 
Grant  considered  Lee's  position  too  strong  for  direct 
attack;  so  he  made  another  flank  movement.  He 
recrossed  the  North  Anna,  burned  up  the  bridge  of 
the  Virginia  Central  Railroad,  crossed  the  Pamunkey 
River,  and  on  the  last  day  of  May  was  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Richmond  with  all  his  army.  But  Lee  had 
been  reinforced,  and  was  ready  for  him. 

On  the  3d  of  June  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was 
fought,  and  our  troops  were  successful.  General 
Grant  now  determined  to  cross  the  James  River  and 
attack  Richmond  from  that  side. 


264     TJie  Children  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

All  this  time  Butler  and  Sigel  had  not  been  idle. 
Butler  had  occupied  and  fortified  Bermuda  Hundred, 
cut  the  railroad  below  Petersburg,  attacked  both 
that  city  and  Fort  Darling,  and  although  he  had  not 
been  able  to  capture  either,  had  nevertheless  held  his 
own  position  against  the  Rebels,  and  was  in  condi- 
tion to  render  valuable  assistance  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  as  it  approached  him. 

Sigel  had  been  unfortunate  in  his  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme, and  was  relieved  of  his  command  and  suc- 
ceeded by  General  Hunter,  who  for  a  time  met  with 
better  success.  He  defeated  the  enemy  at  Staunton, 
driving  him  to  Waynesboro,  and  capturing  guns  and 
prisoners.  Sheridan,  meantime,  was  on  one  of  his 
famous  raids,  riding  around  Lee's  lines,  tearing  up 
railroads,  demolishing  depots  and  supply-trains,  and 
setting  Union  prisoners  at  liberty. 

As  soon  as  Grant  had  crossed  the  James,  he  de- 
cided to  attack  Petersburg ;  but  his  movements  were 
hindered  through  some  misunderstanding  on  the  part 
of  the  cavalry.  However,  he  kept  at  work,  and  by 
the  22d  of  June  Petersburg  was  partially  invested. 
On  that  day  our  troops  gained  possession  of  the 
Petersburg  and  Danville  Railroad. 

Grant  was  now  for  a  time  apparently  quiet;  but 
he  was  in  reality  preparing  a  new  surprise  for  the 
Rebels :    he   was   mining  their  fortifications.      This 


General  SheridarH s  Success.  265 


mine  was  charged  with  eight  tons  of  powder,  and  by- 
Grant's  order  was  exploded  on  the  30th  of  July,  and 
an  assault  upon  Petersburg  commenced  ;  but  through 
some  disagreement  among  the  officers  this  movement 
proved  a  failure.  But  Grant,  instead  of  being  dis- 
couraged, continued  operations  with  more  energy 
than  ever.  In  August  a  battle  was  fought  on  the 
north  side  of  the  James,  by  which  we  captured  some 
heavy  guns  and  several  hundred  prisoners.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  month  Grant  took  possession  of  a 
portion  of  the  Weldon  Railroad. 

The  Lieutenant-General  was  not  satisfied  with  the 
movements  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  and  in  this 
same  month  he  organized  a  new  department,  calling 
it  the  Department  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  appointed 
Sheridan  to  command  it.  Sheridan  achieved  some 
splendid  successes  during  the  autumn.  On  the  19th 
of  September  occurred  the  battle  of  Opequan  Creek, 
in  which  Sheridan  sent  the  Rebel  General  Early 
whirling  through  Winchester,  and  took  many  prison- 
ers, capturing  also  a  large  number  of  guns.  Three 
days  later  Sheridan  gained  another  victory  at  Fisher's 
Hill,  completely  routing  the  Rebels,  capturing  artillery, 
horses,  and  ammunition.  The  enemy  lost  about  ten 
thousand  men  in  these  two  engagements.  These  vic- 
tories caused  great  rejoicing  throughout  the  North  ;  and 
praises  of  gallant  Phil  Sheridan  were  on  every  tongue. 


264     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

All  this  time  Butler  and  Sigel  had  not  been  idle. 
Butler  had  occupied  and  fortified  Bermuda  Hundred, 
cut  the  railroad  below  Petersburg,  attacked  both 
that  city  and  Fort  Darling,  and  although  he  had  not 
been  able  to  capture  either,  had  nevertheless  held  his 
own  position  against  the  Rebels,  and  was  in  condi- 
tion to  render  valuable  assistance  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  as  it  approached  him. 

Sigel  had  been  unfortunate  in  his  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme, and  was  relieved  of  his  command  and  suc- 
ceeded by  General  Hunter,  who  for  a  time  met  with 
better  success.  He  defeated  the  enemy  at  Staunton, 
driving  him  to  Waynesboro,  and  capturing  guns  and 
prisoners.  Sheridan,  meantime,  was  on  one  of  his 
famous  raids,  riding  around  Lee's  lines,  tearing  up 
railroads,  demolishing  depots  and  supply-trains,  and 
setting  Union  prisoners  at  liberty. 

As  soon  as  Grant  had  crossed  the  James,  he  de- 
cided to  attack  Petersburg ;  but  his  movements  were 
hindered  through  some  misunderstanding  on  the  part 
of  the  cavalry.  However,  he  kept  at  work,  and  by 
the  22d  of  June  Petersburg  was  partially  invested. 
On  that  day  our  troops  gained  possession  of  the 
Petersburg  and  Danville  Railroad. 

Grant  was  now  for  a  time  apparently  quiet;  but 
he  was  in  reality  preparing  a  new  surprise  for  the 
Rebels :    lie   was   mining  their  fortifications.       This 


General  SJieridan^ s  Success.  265 


mine  was  charged  with  eight  tons  of  powder,  and  by- 
Grant's  order  was  exploded  on  the  30th  of  July,  and 
an  assault  upon  Petersburg  commenced  ;  but  through 
some  disaereement  among  the  officers  this  movement 
proved  a  failure.  But  Grant,  instead  of  being  dis- 
couraged, continued  operations  with  more  energy 
than  ever.  In  August  a  battle  was  fought  on  the 
north  side  of  the  James,  by  which  we  captured  some 
heavy  guns  and  several  hundred  prisoners.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  month  Grant  took  possession  of  a 
portion  of  the  Weldon  Railroad. 

The  Lieutenant-General  was  not  satisfied  with  the 
movements  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  and  in  this 
same  month  he  organized  a  new  department,  calling 
it  the  Department  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  appointed 
Sheridan  to  command  it.  Sheridan  achieved  some 
splendid  successes  during  the  autumn.  On  the  19th 
of  September  occurred  the  battle  of  Opequan  Creek, 
in  which  Sheridan  sent  the  Rebel  General  Early 
whirling  through  Winchester,  and  took  many  prison- 
ers, capturing  also  a  large  number  of  guns.  Three 
days  later  Sheridan  gained  another  victory  at  Fisher's 
Hill,  completely  routing  the  Rebels,  capturing  artillery, 
horses,  and  ammunition.  The  enemy  lost  about  ten 
thousand  men  in  these  two  engagements.  These  vic- 
tories caused  great  rejoicing  throughout  the  North  ;  and 
praises  of  gallant  Phil  Sheridan  were  on  every  tongue. 


268      The  Children' s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

The  year  1865  dawned  most  hopefully.  Sherman 
had  made  the  President  a  Christmas  gift  of  the  city  of 
Savannah,  together  with  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of 
cotton  and  a  great  quantity  of  big  guns  and  ammu- 
nition. Hood's  army  had  been  crushed,  and  by  the 
middle  of  January  Fort  Fisher  was  ours.  General 
Terry  followed  up  his  successes,  capturing  one  Rebel 
fort  after  another,  on  the  Cape  Fear  River,  till,  on  the 
22d  of  February,  Wilmington  was  evacuated  without 
a  struggle,  and  our  troops  celebrated  Washington's 
Birthday  by  marching  in  and  taking  possession  of 
the  city.  Sherman  was  also  doing  his  part  as  effec- 
tively as  ever.  He  left  Savannah,  and  pushing  north- 
ward through  almost  impassable  swamps  entered  the 
State  of  South  Carolina  and  captured  Columbia,  the 
capital  of  the  State,  without  a  battle,  on  the  17th  of 
February.  As  a  consequence  of  Sherman's  approach, 
Charleston  was  abandoned,  and  the  stars  and  stripes 
once  more  floated  over  the  rebellious  city. 

In  the  mean  time  Grant  kept  steadily  at  work.  On 
the  6th  of  February  he  ordered  a  movement  to  Hatch- 
er's Run,  in  order  to  connect  his  lines  more  closely 
with  the  Weldon  Railroad.  After  a  terrible  fight,  in 
which  the  Rebels  at  first  got  the  advantage,  our 
troops  gained  an  advance  of  four  miles.  On  the 
25th  of  March  the  Rebels  attacked  Fort  Stedman 
and   captured  the  garrison ;   but  our  soldiers  retook 


TIte  Union  Army  enters  Richmond.  269 

the  fort  after  a  severe  struggle.  The  President  was 
on  a  visit  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  arrived 
on  the  field  just  in  time  to  see  the  retreat  of  the 
Rebels.  By  the  19th  of  March  General  Sherman  had 
reached  Goldsborough,  North  Carolina,  and  joined 
his  forces  with  those  of  General  Terry. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Goldsborough,  Sherman  made 
a  visit  to  City  Point,  to  meet  the  President  and  General 
Grant,  and  to  plan  with  them  the  movement  which 
was  destined  to  end  the  war.  On  the  30th  of  INIarch 
Grant  was  ready  for  his  last,  grand  move. 

Sheridan  had  the  honor  of  beginning  the  final  con- 
test. He  made  a  wide  detour,  and  pretended  to 
threaten  Burkesville  ;  and  when  he  had  directed  Lee's 
attention  to  that  quarter,  he  wheeled  suddenly  around 
at  Dinwiddle  Court  House,  and  striking  the  South- 
side  Railroad  within  a  few  miles  of  Petersburg,  moved 
upon  that  city,  tearing  up  the  road  as  he  marched, 
and  attacked  Lee's  right  flank.  Meantime  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  hammered  away  at  Lee's  front,  and 
the  Army  of  the  James  attacked  the  left  flank. 

After  four  days'  hard-fought  battles,  Sheridan  suc- 
ceeded in  flanking  Lee,  and  in  taking  possession  of 
the  South-side  Railroad  and  capturing  about  six 
thousand  prisoners.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had 
gained  possession  of  the  Rebel  lines  in  front,  and 
Petersburg  was  at  our  mercy.     On  the  2d  of  April 


2/2      The  Children's  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln, 

Even  the  speculators  forgot  \X\€\x  gold  1  All  persons 
who  could  beg,  borrow,  or  buy  an  American  flag, 
draped  their  buildings.  Houses  were  illuminated, 
bells  rung,  and  cannons  fired,  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other.  Prayers  were  said  in  all  the 
business  marts.  Men  who  had  perliaps  never  prayed 
before,  now  thanked  God  for  this  glorious  victory. 
Cheers  for  Old  Abe,  as  the  President  was  fondly 
called.  Unconditional  Surrender  Grant,  Sherman, 
and  Sheridan,  rent  the  air.  The  dear  President  did 
indeed  now  behold  the  fruit  of  all  his  labors.  He 
who  had  trusted  so  implicitly  in  his  Heavenly  Fa- 
ther, was  not  disappointed.  He  was  now  paid  for 
all  his  sleepless  nights  and  careworn  days. 

The  President  returned  to  Washington  on  the  day 
of  Lee's  surrender.  The  next  evening  there  was  a 
great  celebration.  The  President's  mansion  and  all 
the  public  buildings  were  brilliantly  illuminated  and 
decorated  with  bunting,  and  bonfires  blazed  all  over 
the  city.  An  immense  throng  assembled  at  the 
White  House,  to  hear  what  the  President  had  to  say 
to  them  upon  so  memorable  an  occasion.  Little  did 
they  think  it  was  the  last  time  they  should  listen  to 
that  beloved  voice  !  But  alas  !  so  God  willed.  The 
President  spoke  thus :  — 

"  FELLOw-CrrizENS,  —  We  meet  this  evening,  not  in  sor- 
row, but  in  gladness  of  heart.     The  evacuation  of  Petersburg 


The  Last  Address  of  President  Lincoln.      273 


and  Richmond,  and  the  surrender  of  the  principal  insurgent 
army  give  hope  of  a  righteous  and  speedy  peace,  whose 
joyous  expression  cannot  be  restrained.  In  the  midst  of 
this,  however,  He  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,  must  not  be 
forgotten. 

"  A  call  for  a  national  thanksgiving  is  being  prepared,  and 
will  be  duly  promulgated.  Nor  must  those  whose  harder 
part  gives  us  the  cause  of  rejoicing  be  overlooked.  Their 
honors  must  not  be  parcelled  out  with  others.  I  myself  was 
near  the  front,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  transmitting  much 
of  the  good  news  to  you.  But  no  part  of  the  honor  for  plan 
or  execution  is  mine.  To  General  Grant,  his  skilful  officers, 
and  brave  men,  all  belongs.  The  gallant  navy  stood  ready, 
but  was  not  in  reach  to  take  active  part." 

The  remainder  of  the  President's  address,  which 
was  of  some  length,  was  about  the  reconstruction  of 
the  Rebel  States.  He  closes  by  saying:  "In  the 
present  situation,  as  the  phrase  goes,  it  may  be  my 
duty  to  make  some  new  announcement  to  the  people 
of  the  South.  I  am  considering,  and  shall  not  fail  to 
act,  when  satisfied  that  action  will  be  proper."  These 
were  our  dear  Chief's  last  public  words.  The  speech 
was  unselfish  to  the  last  degree,  and  worthy  of  him. 
He  disclaims,  as  usual,  all  credit  to  himself. 

iS 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


Cabinet  Meeting  at  the  Theatre. 


The  President  at  Breakfast. 

—  Assassination  of  the  President  by  Booth.  —  The  Presi- 
dent's Death. —  Public  Grief  and  Indignation.  —  His 
Funeral.  —  Triumphal  March.  —  Burial.  —  Reflections. 


Heroes- WHO 

COULD- GREATiy- 

A  °°' 

AS-TH£Y-  COULD 

GR/NOLY:DAR£' 
A.-VESTURE 
VERY-GLORIOUi; 

Their -SHIN IN 8 

■SPIRIT.?  WEAR. 
Op  NOBLE 

DEEDS: 


That.we-;vvay 

-SEE-^SUqW-FACE-TO-FACE- 

^  In- OUR  GREAT  DAY- 
WHIC'H- COMES 


APACE 


RID  AY  morn- 
ing, the  four- 
teenth of  April, 
dawned  upon 
us.  The  na- 
tion'sheartwas 
still  wild  with 
joy.  It  was  the 
anniversary  of 
the  surrender 
of  Fort  Sum- 
ter by  Major 
Anderson. 
Arrangements 
had  been  made  to  celebrate  this  day.  The  brave 
Major  was  to  raise  again  over  this  fortress  the  flag 
he  had  so  nobly  defended.    The  self-same   tattered 


The  Morning  of  April  14,    1865.  275 

flag  which  the  Rebels  compelled  him  to  haul  down 
had  been  preserved,  and  upon  this  day  was  again  to 
kiss  the  breeze.  Distinguished  gentlemen  were  to 
be  present,  and  ev^cry  arrangement  had  been  made 
worthy  of  so  glorious  an  event.  Nobody's  heart  was 
more  devoutly  thankful  on  this  day  than  President 
Lincoln's.  The  terrible  war  was  over,  and  he  could 
now  devote  himself  to  the  grateful  task  of  bind- 
ing up  the  nation's  wounds,  and  restoring  peace  and 
harmony. 

In  the  morning  he  took  breakfast  with  his  son, 
Captain  Robert  Lincohi,  who  was  one  of  General 
Grant's  staff.  It  was  a  pleasant,  cheerful  meal.  Cap- 
tain Lincoln  had  witnessed  the  surrender  of  General 
Lee,  and  he  related  all  the  particulars  to  his  father. 

After  breakfast  the  President  received  some  public 
men,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  attended  a  cabinet  meet- 
ing. General  Grant,  who  hastened  immediately  from 
the  field  to  Washington,  without  even  looking  at  his 
conquered  cities,  was  present.  All  the  President's 
plans  were  warmly  approved  of  by  General  Guant 
and  by  members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  the  meeting  was 
very  harmonious. 

After  it  was  over,  the  President  made  arrangements 
to  attend  the  theatre  in  the  evening,  expecting  that 
General  Grant  would  go  with  him.  It  was  a  favorite 
diversion    of  the    President's,   when    very  tired    and 


276     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


worn  out  with  care,  to  forget  for  a  little  while  his 
heavy  burdens  in  listening  to  some  interesting  play. 
He  had  a  pleasant  talk  with  his  wife  during  the  day, 
and  spoke  with  much  emotion  of  the  terrible  storm 
through  which  he  had  passed,  and  of  the  bright  and 
peaceful  future  which  was  dawning  upon  us. 

The  evening  came.  General  Grant  had  been 
obhged  to  leave  town.  The  President  was  convers- 
ing with  Mr,  Ashmun  and  Mr.  Colfax.  He  said  to 
Mr.  Colfax,  "  You  are  going  to  the  theatre  with  Mrs. 
Lincoln  and  me,  are  you  not?  "  Mr.  Colfax  said  that 
his  engagements  would  not  permit.  The  President 
replied  that  he  would  be  glad  to  stay  at  home;  but 
as  the  audience  were  expecting  both  General  Grant 
and  himself,  and  as  General  Grant  had  left  town,  he 
did  not  like  to  disappoint  them  altogether.  Thus  his 
very  last  act  was  one  of  self  denial.  He  consulted  the 
pleasure  of  others  rather  than  his  own. 

About  eight  o'clock  he  got  into  his  carriage  with 
his  wife,  and  drove  to  the  house  of  Senator  Harris  for 
Miss  Harris  and  Major  Rathbone,  when  all  the  party 
proceeded  to  Ford's  Theatre.  The  play  was  "  The 
American  Cousin."  The  President  entered  his  box, 
which  was  on  the  second  floor  of  the  theatre,  and  sat 
down  in  a  high-backed  rocking-chair  which  had  been 
arranged  for  him  in  the  corner  nearest  to  the  audi- 
ence,  and  which  was  about  five  feet  from  the  door  of 


Assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  277 

the  box  and  directly  in  front  of  it.  Mrs.  Lincoln  sat 
next  to  the  President,  at  his  right;  Miss  Harris  sat 
next  to  Mrs.  Lincohi,  in  the  other  corner  of  the  box, 
farthest  from  the  audience;  and  Major  Rathbone  sat 
upon  a  sofa  behind  Miss  Harris.  The  box  was  a 
double  one,  and  a  small  pillar  rose  from  the  centre 
of  the  railing  in  front  to  the  ceiling  above,  and  was 
draped  with  the  American  flag.  The  door  of  the 
box  had  been  left  open.  The  President's  messenger 
sat  outside  the  box  near  the  outer  door.  About 
quarter  past  ten  o'clock  John  Wilkes  Booth  came 
along  the  passage-way  and  showed  a  card  to  this  mes- 
senger. Directly  after,  Booth  stepped  into  the  vesti- 
bule of  the  President's  box,  shut  the  door,  and  fast- 
ened it  with  a  plank,  so  that  it  could  not  be  opened 
from  the  outside.  He  then  went  behind  the  Presi- 
dent's chair,  drew  a  small  silver-mounted  pistol,  and 
shot  the  President  tJirongJi  tJie  back  of  tJic  head.  The 
President  uttered  no  cry,  and  did  not  move,  except 
that  he  leaned  slightly  forward  and  closed  his  eyes. 

All  in  the  box  heard  the  report  of  the  pistol  and 
were  startled.  Presently  Major  Rathbone  saw  through 
the  smoke  a  man  in  the  box,  and  attempted  to  seize 
him;  but  Booth  stabbed  Major  Rathbone  in  the 
shoulder  with  a  long,  double-edged  dagger,  which  he 
held  in  his  hand.  As  soon  as  Booth  had  disabled 
Major  Rathbone,  he  rushed  to  the  front  of  the  box, 


278     Tlic  Childrcji  s  Life  of  AbraJiam  Lincoln. 

brandishing  his  dagger  and  shouting,  "  Sic  semper 
tyrannis."  Then  placing  his  hand  on  the  raihng  of 
the  box,  he  leaped  over  it  to  the  stage  beneath. 

But  his  spur  caught  in  the  flag  on  the  front  of  the 
box,  and  he  fell  and  broke  his  leg.  He  immediately 
sprang  up,  however,  and  again  brandishing  his  dagger, 
faced  the  audience  and  exclaimed  in  stage  tones : 
"  TJie  Sonth  is  avenged^  Then  darting  behind  the 
scenes,  he  escaped  through  a  back  door,  and  mount- 
ing a  horse  which  was  in  waiting,  rode  rapidly  away. 

At  first  the  audience  were  wholly  unconscious  of 
what  had  happened.  Many  supposed  the  pistol-shot 
was  part  of  the  play.  The  dreadful  truth  soon  burst 
upon  them,  however,  and  surgeons  were  called.  They 
quickly  saw  that  the  assassin's  aim  had  been  too  true. 
TJlc  wound  was  mortal ! 

The  President  was  removed  to  a  house  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  street,  and  placed  in  bed.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  was  led  to  his  side,  overwhelmed  with  grief. 
Members  of  the  Cabinet  and  other  distinguished 
gentlemen  remained  during  the  night.  Surgeon- 
General  Barnes  and  other  physicians  were  also  in 
attendance ;  but  the  dear  President  was  past  mortal 
aid.  The  ball  had  entered  behind  the  left  ear,  about 
three  inches  from  it,  and  lodged  behind  the  right 
eye.  Probably  the  President  was  not  conscious  of 
a  moment's  suffering.     After  lingering  through   the 


The  Death  of  President  Lincoln. 


night,  till  twenty-two  minutes  past  seven  Saturday 
morning,  Abraham  Lincoln  passed  away  from  earth 
to  his  great  reward  in  the  bosom  of  his  Father. 

While  this  terrible  tragedy  was  being  enacted,  an- 
other almost  as  dreadful  was  going  on  in  another 
part  of  the  city.  Mr.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State, 
was  lying  ill  from  the  effects  of  a  fall  from  his  car- 
riage. A  villain  called  Pa}'ne  rang  Mr.  Seward's 
door-bell  about  ten  o'clock,  telling  the  servant  who 
opened  the  door  that  he  was  sent  by  the  physician 
with  a  prescription  for  Mr.  Seward,  and  that  he  must 
deliver  it  himself.  The  servant  told  him  that  no  one 
could  see  Mr.  Seward.  Upon  that  Payne  quickly 
pushed  the  boy  aside  and  rushed  upstairs  to  Mr.  Sew- 
ard's room.  He  was  met  on  the  way  by  Mr.  Frederic 
Seward,  to  whom  he  repeated  the  same  story. 

Payne  was  told  that  he  could  not  enter  the  cham- 
ber. He  then  drew  a  pistol,  and  beat  Mr.  Frederic 
Seward  about  the  head  until  he  fractured  his  skull 
and  rendered  him  senseless.  Mr.  Seward's  daughter, 
who  was  attending  her  father,  heard  the  noise  and 
opened  the  door  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  when 
Payne  immediately  rushed  in.  He  threw  himself 
upon  the  bed,  and  drawing  a  bowie-knife  stabbed 
Mr.  Seward  three  times.  While  in  this  murderous 
act  he  was  seized  by  Mr.  Robinson,  the  nurse.  Payne 
now  turned  his  attention  to  Robinson. 


28o       Tlie    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Seward,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  immedi- 
ately rolled  off  the  farther  side  of  the  bed  to  the 
floor.  In  the  mean  time  the  colored  boy  had  rushed 
out  into  the  street  for  help,  and  Miss  Seward  was 
shrieking  "  Murder !  "  from  the  window.  Payne  saw 
that  Mr.  Seward  was  beyond  his  reach,  and  fearing 
he  should  be  caught,  rushed  out  of  the  house  and 
made  his  escape. 

It  is  wholly  impossible  to  describe  the  conflicting 
emotions  which  rent  the  nation's  heart  as  these  terri- 
ble disclosures  burst  upon  it.  At  first  men  stood 
still,  with  bated  breath,  stunned,  refusing  to  believe 
that  anything  so  terrible  could  be  true.  But  when 
it  could  no  longer  be  doubted,  a  holy  and  righteous 
indignation,  mingled  \\A\X\  a  most  intense  and  bitter 
grief,  seemed  to  take  possession  of  every  heart.  It 
was  as  if  a  dear  friend  lay  dead  in  every  house. 

Strone  men  bowed  their  heads  and  wept.  The 
people  of  the  United  States  were  one  great  family 
of  mourners.  All  business  was  suspended,  and  all 
places  of  amusement  Avere  closed.  The  flags,  which 
were  still  waving  all  over  the  land  in  honor  of  the 
victories,  were  placed  at  half  mast  and  draped  with 
black.  Scarcely  a  house  but  wore  some  badge  of 
mournine.  A  more  than  Sabbath  stillness  spread 
throughout  the  land. 

In  Washington  it  was  feared  that  a  dark  conspiracy 


The  Funeral  of  President  Lincoln.  281 

was  at  work  to  destroy  all  the  heads  of  the  nation, 
and  measures  were  immediately  taken  to  protect 
persons  in  power  from  being  assassinated. 

Directly  after  the  President's  death  his  body  was 
embalmed,  carried  to  the  White  House,  and  placed 
in  the  Green  Room.  There  it  remained  until  the  fol- 
lowing Wednesday,  the  day  of  the  funeral,  when  it 
was  conveyed  to  the  East  Room,  where  the  sad  sol- 
emnities of  the  burial  service  took  place.  At  twelve 
o'clock  Andrew  Johnson,  who  was  now  President  of 
the  United  States,  came  in,  followed  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Cabinet,  except  Mr.  Seward.  Captain 
Robert  Lincoln  with  his  little  brother  "Tad,"  his 
father's  pet,  sat  nearest  to  the  remains ;  their  mother 
was  too  ill  to  leave  her  room.  A  large  body  of 
public  men  was  present,  together  with  all  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  A  guard  of  honor  watched  beside  the 
bier.  Dr,  Hall  read  the  Episcopal  service  for  the 
dead,  Bishop  Simpson  offered  prayer,  and  Dr.  Gurley 
pronounced  a  funeral  discourse.  Then  Dr.  Grey, 
Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  offered  prayer.  The  sacred 
remains  were  then  placed  in  a  magnificent  hearse, 
and  by  two  o'clock  the  sad  procession  was  ready  to 
move. 

The  stately  train  of  attendants,  moving  to  slow 
funereal  music,  escorted  the  body  of  our  martyred 
Chief  to  the  Capitol,  which  had  been  made  ready  for 


282      The  CJiildreiis  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

the  occasion.  The  whole  immense  building,  from 
the  ground  to  the  dome,  was  clothed  in  emblems  of 
woe.  Black  crape  entwined  the  beautiful  white  pil- 
lars, the  windows  were  draped  in  mourning,  and  the 
east  door,  by  which  the  great  procession  was  to  enter, 
was  canopied  with  black.  At  the  approach  of  the 
funeral  car,  the  bands  all  played  a  mournful  dirge, 
the  artillery  thundered  forth  its  grand  and  solemn 
accompaniment,  and  the  vast  crowd  stood  with  un- 
covered heads.  While  the  body  of  the  President  was 
being  borne  into  the  rotunda  and  placed  upon  the 
splendid  catafalque  which  had  been  prepared  for  it, 
Dr.  Gurley  recited  some  beautiful  sentences  from  the 
burial  service.  President  Johnson  and  several  Sena- 
tors now  came  forward,  followed  by  the  family..  The 
body-guard  formed  in  double  ranks  around  the 
remains.  Dr.  Gurley  made  a  closing  prayer  and 
pronounced  the  benediction. 

All  now  left  the  rotunda,  and  a  guard  was  stationed 
at  the  doors.  The  body  of  the  President  was  thus 
tenderly  and  securely  watched  during  the  remainder 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  until  nine  o'clock  of  the 
following  day.  Thousands  seized  this  opportunity 
to  take  a  last,  fond  look  at  that  beloved  face.  Many 
and  many  a  wounded  soldier  hobbled  on  his  crutches 
from  the  hospital  to  gaze  once  more  upon  the  features 
of  his  late  Commander-in-Chief 


TJie  Nation  JHourns.  28- 


It  was  decided  to  remove  the  body  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  for  burial,  as  that  city  had  long  been  the 
President's  home.  At  first  it  was  arranged  to  have 
this  done  as  quietly  as  possible,  without  any  parade. 
But  the  whole  nation  said,  "No  !  "  "  Let  us  look  upon 
the  face  of  our  beloved  dead,"  was  the  spontaneous 
cry  which  arose  to  every  lip.  It  seemed  as  if  nobody 
could  do  honor  enough  to  the  precious  dust. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  a  special  funeral  train 
over  all  the  roads.  A  magnificent  funeral  car  was 
prepared.  A  guard  was  selected  from  the  veteran 
reserve  corps,  which,  with  a  large  company  of  invited 
gentlemen,  formed  the  escort.  The  engine  and  the 
train  were  draped  in  black.  The  rate  of  speed  was 
restricted,  and  a  pilot  engine  steamed  ahead  to  pre- 
vent accident.  Thus  this  great  funeral  procession 
passed  over  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thousand 
miles,  through  some  of  the  largest  cities  in  the 
Union. 

Crowds  of  people  at  every  point  of  this  long  waj- 
filled  every  available  space  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
passing  train ;  and  wherever  it  stopped  long  enough 
for  the  remains  to  be  seen,  immense  gatherings  such 
as  few  other  occasions  in  the  world  ever  called  forth, 
assembled  to  gaze  upon  the  martyred  dead.  The 
casket  was  loaded  with  flowers ;  every  house  was 
draped  in  mourning;   flags  hung  at  half  mast;   funeral 


28o       TJie    Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Mr.  Seward,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  immedi- 
ately rolled  ofif  the  farther  side  of  the  bed  to  the 
floor.  In  the  mean  time  the  colored  boy  had  rushed 
out  into  the  street  for  help,  and  Miss  Seward  was 
shrieking  "  Murder!  "  from  the  window.  Payne  saw 
that  Mr.  Seward  was  beyond  his  reach,  and  fearing 
he  should  be  caught,  rushed  out  of  the  house  and 
made  his  escape. 

It  is  wholly  impossible  to  describe  the  conflicting 
emotions  which  rent  the  nation's  heart  as  these  terri- 
ble disclosures  burst  upon  it.  At  first  men  stood 
still,  with  bated  breath,  stunned,  refusing  to  believe 
that  anything  so  terrible  could  be  true.  But  when 
it  could  no  longer  be  doubted,  a  holy  and  righteous 
indignation,  mingled  with  a  most  intense  and  bitter 
grief,  seemed  to  take  possession  of  every  heart.  It 
was  as  if  a  dear  friend  lay  dead  in  every  house. 

Strong  men  bowed  their  heads  and  wept.  The 
people  of  the  United  States  were  one  great  family 
of  mourners.  All  business  was  suspended,  and  all 
places  of  amusement  were  closed.  The  flags,  which 
were  still  waving  all  over  the  land  in  honor  of  the 
victories,  were  placed  at  half  mast  and  draped  with 
black.  Scarcely  a  house  but  wore  some  badge  of 
mourning.  A  more  than  Sabbath  stillness  spread 
throughout  the  land. 

In  Washington  it  was  feared  that  a  dark  conspiracy 


TJie  Funeral  of  President  Lmcoln.  281 

was  at  work  to  destroy  all  the  heads  of  the  nation, 
and  measures  were  immediately  taken  to  protect 
persons  in  power  from  being  assassinated. 

Directly  after  the  President's  death  his  body  was 
embalmed,  carried  to  the  White  House,  and  placed 
in  the  Green  Room.  There  it  remained  until  the  fol- 
lowing Wednesday,  the  day  of  the  funeral,  when  it 
was  conveyed  to  the  East  Room,  where  the  sad  sol- 
emnities of  the  burial  service  took  place.  At  twelve 
o'clock  Andrew  Johnson,  who  was  now  President  of 
the  United  States,  came  in,  followed  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Cabinet,  except  Mr.  Seward,  Captain 
Robert  Lincoln  with  his  little  brother  "  Tad,"  his 
father's  pet,  sat  nearest  to  the  remains ;  their  mother 
was  too  ill  to  leave  her  room.  A  large  body  of 
public  men  was  present,  together  with  all  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  A  guard  of  honor  watched  beside  the 
bier.  Dr,  Hall  read  the  Episcopal  service  for  the 
dead,  Bishop  Simpson  offered  prayer,  and  Dr.  Gurley 
pronounced  a  funeral  discourse.  Then  Dr.  Grey, 
Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  offered  prayer.  The  sacred 
remains  were  then  placed  in  a  magnificent  hearse, 
and  by  two  o'clock  the  sad  procession  was  ready  to 
move. 

The  stately  train  of  attendants,  moving  to  slow 
funereal  music,  escorted  the  body  of  our  martyred 
Chief  to  the  Capitol,  which  had  been  made  ready  for 


282      The  CJdldren's  Life  of  Abrahaui  Lincoln. 

the  occasion.  The  whole  immense  building,  from 
the  ground  to  the  dome,  was  clothed  in  emblems  of 
woe.  Black  crape  entwined  the  beautiful  white  pil- 
lars, the  windows  were  draped  in  mourning,  and  the 
east  door,  by  which  the  great  procession  was  to  enter, 
was  canopied  with  black.  At  the  approach  of  the 
funeral  car,  the  bands  all  pla}'ed  a  mournful  dirge, 
the  artillery  thundered  forth  its  grand  and  solemn 
accompaniment,  and  the  vast  crowd  stood  with  un- 
covered heads.  While  the  body  of  the  President  was 
being  borne  into  the  rotunda  and  placed  upon  the 
splendid  catafalque  which  had  been  prepared  for  it, 
Dr.  Gurley  recited  some  beautiful  sentences  from  the 
burial  service.  President  Johnson  and  several  Sena- 
tors now  came  forward,  followed  by  the  family..  The 
body-guard  formed  in  double  ranks  around  the 
remains.  Dr.  Gurley  made  a  closing  prayer  and 
pronounced  the  benediction. 

All  now  left  the  rotunda,  and  a  guard  was  stationed 
at  the  doors.  The  body  of  the  President  was  thus 
tenderly  and  securely  watched  during  the  remainder 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  until  nine  o'clock  of  the 
following  day.  Thousands  seized  this  opportunity 
to  take  a  last,  fond  look  at  that  beloved  face.  Many 
and  many  a  wounded  soldier  hobbled  on  his  crutches 
from  the  hospital  to  gaze  once  more  upon  the  features 
of  his  late  Commander-in-Chief 


The  Nation  Mourns.  283 

It  was  decided  to  remove  the  body  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  for  burial,  as  that  city  had  long  been  the 
President's  home.  At  first  it  was  arranged  to  have 
this  done  as  quietly  as  possible,  without  any  parade. 
But  the  whole  nation  said,  "  No  !  "  "  Let  us  look  upon 
the  face  of  our  beloved  dead,"  was  the  spontaneous 
cry  which  arose  to  every  lip.  It  seemed  as  if  nobody 
could  do  honor  enough  to  the  precious  dust. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  a  special  funeral  train 
over  all  the  roads.  A  magnificent  funeral  car  was 
prepared.  A  guard  was  selected  from  the  veteran 
reserve  corps,  which,  with  a  large  company  of  invited 
gentlemen,  formed  the  escort.  The  engine  and  the 
train  were  draped  in  black.  The  rate  of  speed  was 
restricted,  and  a  pilot  engine  steamed  ahead  to  pre- 
vent accident.  Thus  this  great  funeral  procession 
passed  over  a  distance  of  more  than  a  thousand 
miles,  through  some  of  the  largest  cities  in  the 
Union. 

Crowds  of  people  at  every  point  of  this  long  way 
filled  every  available  space  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
passing  train ;  and  wherever  it  stopped  long  enough 
for  the  remains  to  be  seen,  immense  gatherings  such 
as  few  other  occasions  in  the  world  ever  called  forth, 
assembled  to  gaze  upon  the  martyred  dead.  The 
casket  was  loaded  with  flowers ;  every  house  was 
draped  in  mourning ;  flags  hung  at  half  mast ;  funeral 


284     TJic  Childreii  s  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

arches  were  erected  and  inscribed  with  appropriate 
inscriptions,  and  the  people  vied  with  one  another  in 
tributes  of  honor  and  affection. 

Thus  he  who  Httle  more  than  four  years  before  was 
comparatively  an  unknown  man,  and  who  was  obliged 
to  enter  Washington  in  disguise  under  the  cover  of 
night,  now  went  forth  a  mighty  conqueror,  his  path- 
way of  a  thousand  miles  strezuji  with  rarest  flowers 
and  bedeived  zvith  a  nation's  tears. 

They  bore  him  to  Springfield,  his  much  loved 
home ;  and  on  the  fourth  day  of  May  the  remains 
were  consigned  to  their  final  rest  in  Oak  Ridge 
Cemetery. 

Thus,  my  children,  we  have  briefly  glanced  at  the 
principal  events  in  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  from 
his  birth  to  his  death.  We  first  saw  him  in  a  miser- 
able hovel,  on  a  cold  winter's  day,  — a  little,  shiver- 
ing, new-born  baby.  We  fancied  the  angels  must  have 
presided  over  his  birth,  because  his  career  proved  to 
be  so  wonderful. 

His  assassin,  —  foolish,  wicked  man!  —  prompted 
by  some  evil  spirit,  thought  he  should  gain  immor- 
tality by  his  cowardly  deed ;  but  his  mutilated  body 
was  placed  in  a  nameless  grave  before  the  President 
was  buried.  He  was  indeed  powerless  for  mischief, 
for  he  only  placed  the  crown  of  martyrdom  upon  our 


Mr.  Lincoln's  Nobility  of  Character.         285 

dear  Chief's 'brow,  —  all  that  was  wanting,  if  indeed 
anything  were  wanting,  to  make  his  fame  immortal. 

You  have  seen,  my  children,  what  made  Abraham 
Lincoln  great,  —  his  incorruptible  honesty,  his  pure- 
hearted  integrity,  his  noble  generosity,  his  self-sac- 
rificing spirit,  and  his  constant,  unwavering  trust  in 
God.  These  are  traits  that  you  too  can  all  under- 
stand and  cultivate. 

In  this  gigantic  war  which  he  carried  on  for  four 
years,  he  had  command  of  an  army  greater  than  that 
of  any  living  monarch,  he  had  control  of  immense 
sums  of  money,  and  he  wielded  in  every  respect  an 
almost  unlimited  power;  and  yet  no  fair-minded  per- 
son, even  among  his  strongest  political  opponents,  ever 
suspected  his  honesty,  or  charged  him  with  trying  to 
enrich  himself  or  with  acting  in  any  way  but  that 
which  he  sincerely  thought  to  be  for  the  nation's 
good.  It  was  this  tnarvellojis  purity  of  motive  that 
gave  the  people  such  confidence  in  him.  They  were 
not  afraid  to  trust  him  to  any  extent  with  men, 
money,  or  power. 

And  his  modesty  was  not  less  remarkable ;  he 
never  showed  the  least  pride  in  his  great  office.  He 
treated  all  men,  even  to  the  poor,  dirty,  ragged  negro 
that  he  bowed  to  in  the  streets  of  Richmond,  as  his 
equal.  All  could  freely  approach  him  ;  he  was  ready 
to  hear  everybody's  story,  and,  if  possible,  to  grant 


286     The  Childrai's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

what  was  asked  of  him.  His  heart  was  very  tender. 
During  the  war  he  pardoned  many  and  many  a  man 
who  had  been  sentenced  to  death.  Standing  orders 
were  given  to  his  door-keepers  to  admit  every  mes- 
senger who  came  to  him  for  the  saving  of  life,  no 
matter  who  else  had  to  be  kept  waiting  in  conse- 
quence, even  though  Senators  and  Representatives 
went  away  without  a  hearing. 

Mr.  Carpenter  has  related  many  touching  instances 
of  his  clemency,  but  none  more  beautiful  than  this : 
A  poor  little  drummer-boy,  pale  and  delicate,  and 
only  thirteen  years  old,  came  one  day  with  many 
others  to  see  the  President.  The  President  spied 
the  little  fellow  in  the  crowd,  and  kindly  said, 
"  Come  here,  my  boy,  and  tell  me  what  you  want." 
The  child  went  up  to  the  President,  and  leaning 
against  his  armchair,  said  timidly:  "I  have  been  a 
drummer-boy  two  years  in  one  regiment;  but  my 
colonel  got  angry  with  me  and  turned  me  off.  I  was 
taken  ill,  and  have  been  in  the  hospital  a  long  while. 
To-day  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  out,  and  I  have 
come  to  ask  you  to  do  something  for  me." 

The  President  inquired  of  the  child  very  kindly 
where  he  lived.  "I  have  no  home;  my  father  died 
in  the  army,  and  my  mother,  too,  is  dead,"  said  the 
poor  boy,  bursting  into  tears.  "  I  have  no  father,  no 
mother,  no  brother,  no  sister,  no  home,  nowhere  to 


THK   DRUMMER-BOY    AND   THE    PRESIDENT. 


President  Lincoln  and  the  Drummer-Boy.     289 


go ;     nobody    cares    for    me,"    he    sobbed    in    great 
distress. 

The  President's  eyes  were  full  of  tears ;  he  said 
tenderly,  "  Can't  you  sell  the  newspapers,  nay  child?  " 
"  No,"  replied  the  boy,  "  I  am  too  weak,  and  the 
surgeon  says  1  must  leave  the  hospital,  and  1  have 
no  money." 

The  President  was  much  affected  ;  he  did  not  speak, 
but  he  took  a  card  from  his  pocket  and  wrote  on  it 
special  directions  to  certain  officers  to  care  for  the 
poor  little  drummer-boy.  The  child's  pale  face 
lighted  up  with  a  joyous  and  grateful  smile  when  he 
received  the  card,  and  he  felt  that  he  had  one  friend 
in  the  world,  the  good  President. 

There  is  another  phase  of  the  President's  character 
of  which  we  have  said  but  little,  —  his  great  love  of 
humor.  He  told  an  endless  number  of  funny  stories  ; 
but  for  all  that  he  seemed  habitually  sad.  Mr.  Car- 
penter says  Mr.  Lincoln's  face  was  the  saddest  he 
ever  painted.  But  the  President  had  a  fortunate  way 
of  forgetting,  for  a  moment,  the  heavy  burdens  which 
pressed  upon  him,  in  relating  or  listening  to  some 
pleasant  story. 

He  was  almost  adored  by  his  family.  The  loss  of 
his  little  son  Willie,  who  died  at  Washington,  was  a 
great   grief  to   the   President.     The   little    body  was 

19 


290     The  Children's  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

placed   in   the  funeral   car  by  his   father's   side,   and 
carried  to  Springfield. 

Time  would  fail  us  to  tell  the  nian>'  beautiful 
things  which  might  be  said  of  this  great  man.  His 
course  was  such  as  to  command  the  respect  of  all  the  - 
nations  of  the  earth.  European  halls  of  State  were 
draped  in  mourning,  when  news  of  his  death  reached 
their  shores.  The  Queen  of  England  and  the  Em- 
press of  France  both  wrote  letters  of  condolence  to 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  mingled  their  tears  with  hers. 
Coming  generations  will  read  and  marvel  at  his  won- 
derful career,  and  be  stirred  by  his  tragic  death. 
He  died  for  liberty,  and  earned  the  martyr's  crown. 
Among  the  greatest  of  all  great  names  is  that  of 
our  martvred  President,  Abraham  Lincoln. 


<-^^ 


B  OV-  DOVN-DEAR-L  AMDfOR  -THOV-HAST'FOVND-RELEAS  E- 
iHY-GOD-m-THESE- DISTEMPERED- DAYS- 
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/\ND-THR  OVCH-  THi  N  E-  EN  EMIE  S-H  ATH  -WROVG  HT-TKY-PEACt- 


AbraJiant, 


